LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

^^^"^ /.US'- 

PRESENTED BY 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



5^315 
.U5 



45th Congress, ) SEXATE. ( Ex. Doc. 

?yd Session. ( . (No. 25. 

MESSAGE, 

FROM TIIK 

PRESIDEIT OF THE UIITED STATES, 



COMMUXICATING, 



In answer to a Senate resolution of June 17, 1878, information on the sub- 
ject of shceii-hushandry. 



J.VNTARY 14, 1879. — Eead, referred to tlio Committee ou Agriculture, and ordered to 

be i^riuted. 



To the Senate of the United States : 

In answer to a resolntion of the Senate of the 17th of June last, re- 
(luesting- the Commissioner of Agriculture to send to the Senate certain 
reports on sheep-husbandry, copies of the same with accompanying" 
])apers, received from tlie Commissioner of Agriculture for this purpose, 
are herewith transmitted. 

E. B. HAYES. 

Executive Mansion, January 13, 1879. 

*^| United States DEPART]vrENT of Agriculture, 

Washington, January 9, 1879. 

Sir : Tn compliance with the resolution of the Senate of the 17th of 
June, 1878, I transmit herewith a report ujion sheep-husbandry in the 
South, prepared in this department, and likewise a copy of a publislied 
document on the same subjectj by John L. Hayes, secretary of the Na- 
tional Association of Wool Manufacturers. 

I have the honor to be, yejcg respectfully, your obedient servant, 

- Cl:, ' A -^-c:;)^<^(i^.' , Commissioner of Agriculture. 
The President. IStffk '^ 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY IN THE UNITED STATES. 

ITS ORIGIN AND GROWTH. 

The early settlers of America brought with them the domesticated 
sheep of their respective nationalities ; Spanish sheep Avere introduced 
in Mexico, English into Virginia and Massachusetts, and Dutch races 
into New York. The Spanisli were evidently not Merinos, but producers 
of coarse^wools suitable for carpets, probably the Chaurros. The Eng- 



2 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

lish were Iong-le.c:ge(l, narrow- chested, liglit-qiiartered, coarse-wooled 
animals, by no means the hi.i;lily bred stoi'k of English coarse- wools of 
the present day. The lowland sheep of Holland bore many of the char- 
acteristics of the English. The compact, short-limbed, heavy -tleeced 
animal of recent improvement was not then in existence, whether Eng- 
lish or Spanish. Tliey were small, agile, wild, slow in maturing, and 
their tlesh Avas not highly esteemed as food. 

While sheep have been bred in this country for more than two hnn- 
dred and tiity years,* it is only within the present century that improved 
breeds have been introduced, with the excei)tion of isolated cases of par- 
tially-improved animals, as the original Leicesters (Bake wells) of Presi- 
dent Washington, and the Merinos imported by Mr. William Foster, of 
Boston, who gave them to a gentleman to keep, by whom they were 
"kept" and eaten! In 1801 fonr Spanish rams were embarked for the 
United States by M. IJupont de Xemaurs, chief of a French commission 
to select sheep in Spain under the treaty of Basle, and a banker named 
Delessert, but ouly one lived to reach New York. It went to Delaware, 
and was used efiectively in i)roducing valual)le grades. Yet the found- 
ing of the improvement which ultiuuitely produced the American INIerino 
bears tlie date of 1<S()2, when our minister to France, Mr. Livingston, 
sent hoiue two pairs of French Merinos (originally S})anish Merinos 
which had been modified by a course of breeding) from the im])erial 
Hock at Chalons. In the same year our minister to Spain, Colonel Hum- 
phreys, brought home with him 21 rams and 70 ewes from the best flocks 
of the line- wools of Spain. From these and snbseqnent importations.t 
aided by three-fourths of a century of skillful breeding, came the best 
race of Merinos now extant, which has moditied, in greater or less degree, 
more than nine-tenths of the flocks of the conntry, changing the natives 
or scrubs of difl'erent origin into Merino grades, doubling the weight and 
value per i)oun<l of their fleeces, and transmitting fibers little better than 
the carpet-wools of nomadic sheep-husbandry into the fine and soft 
material for clothing fabrics and the longer staple of Merino-combing 
fleeces. 

The improvement was rapid. In 1810 one of Mr. Livingston's year- 
ling rams weighed 145 pounds and bore a fleece of 11 i)oun(ls 11 ounces ; 
and his full blood ewes averaged fleeces of 5 pounds 13 ounces, (JO per 
cent, more than his best common ewes, and the maximum weight was 8 
pounds 12 ounces, while the first cross made an imi)rovement amounting 
to fidly 50 per cent. 

Kecent as is the improvement in this country, it is nearly as old as in 
Europe.^ Great Britain tried the Spanish sheep, but the demand for 
mutton, the necessity for Avorsted avooI, gave imimlse to luogress in 
another direction, upon a foundation of original Leicesters and Lincoln 
and Southdown blood. The first year of the present century found that 
(country de[)endent on Si)aiu and Portugal for foreign wool; and of the 
meage]' imi)ortation, amounting to only 8,()09,;3()8 ])ounds, these countries 
sent respectively (>,0()2,824, and 1,731,934 i)ounds, while Clcrmany sent 
412,31)4 ])0unds, and the Netherlancls 141,730 pounds. Such is the 
growth of the wool manufacture in Great Britain, that in 1877 no less 

* Sheep were brought to .Tameatown, Vai.,in IGO!). 

t The heaviest were made by Consul William Jarvis, iu 1809, amoniiting to uearly 
4,0(10 in inimber. 

tTIie Spanish Merino was bronght into Saxony by tlie Ehictor in 17Gr>; into Hini- 
}r,n.ry. by Maria Theresa, in 1775; into France in 1770. (Jeorge 111 intnxbieed tlie.m 
into England in 1785. The liambonillet or imperial tlock of France wa.s established 
in 1780.' 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 3 

than 405,040,101 pounds of wool were imi^orted — forty-seven times tlie 
receipts of seventy-tive years ajio. 

As late as 1820 the value of liritisli exports of wools and manufactures 
of wool Avas only £5,0S0,(J22; in tifty-two years siu'li ex])orts reached 
the sum of £;)2,;j.S;3,273, of which worsted contributed £20,005,1()3, and 
cloths, formerly the main lines of exports, only £(»,001,71S. This ex- 
plains the necessity for England's adherence to cond)ing-wool races, 
while her crowded factory i)opulation equally necessitate the mutton 
product which is the concomitant of these worsted- works. 

RECIPROCITY OF GROWTH A^^D MANUFACTURE. 

In this country, rapid growth of the manufactures of wool has been 
concurrent in point of time with the principal development of such in- 
dustry in the mother country; and considering thefa(;t that this mater- 
nal ancestor attempted to strangle the infant industry — and nearly suc- 
ceeded in accomplishing the intanticide after the Avar of 1812 — and the 
additional fact tliat hostile legislation at home, as well as frequent 
(;hanges of such legislation, has at times crippled its energies and re- 
tarded its progress, the growth of wool manufacturing- in America is ,i 
greater wonder than its progress in Britain, During ten years prior to 
the war with that country there AA^as no industrial interest so prominent 
in the public eye as this manufacture. Bomestic manufacture in the 
family by the hand-loom began to give place to the associated etfort and 
improved machinery of the factory. The fame of the new merinos flcAv 
from farm to farm, and as fleeces grew heaA'ier and prices advanced, the 
finest rams of this stock commanded in some cases a thousand dollars 
each ; factories Avere built and surplus farm labor Avas diverted to the mill, 
raising the price of rural labor, making- a market for superabundant pro- 
duce and inspiring- hope and confidence, resulting in 1810 in a product of 
Avool manufactures of the value of $25,008,788. After the war, in a gush of 
conciliation, the bars of the customs AA^ere let down, imi)ortations became 
excessiA^e, prices were prostrated, panic ensued, the mills Avere stopped, 
and this magnificent beginning- Avas quenched in failure, so that the 
product of 1820, years after, had become only $4,41o,008. Its rate of 
increase has since been variable as taritt-legislation has fluctuated. The 
figures for 1830 are $14,528,1 0() ; for 1840, |20,000,9Ut); 1850, $43,207,545 ; 
1800, $01,804,080. Then comes a period of m;;gnificent progress. In 
seYcnteen years twofold more Avas accomi>lished than in sixty preceding, 
Avhether in A^alue of product, quantity of ayooI used, or increase in skill 
in manufacture and variety of fabric. An advance Avas made that ren- 
dered possible the magnificent display of native Avoolens at the Cen- 
tennial Exhibition, Avhich astonished our European competitors, and 
oi)ened the eyes of thousands in our own country to an adA^ance in skill 
in Avorkmanship and excellence of goods of which few had any i oncep- 
tion. 

This progress is indicated in part by the census returns of 1870, show- 
ing- a product of Avoolen goods of $155,405,358, and of Avorsteds a total 
of $22,000,331. In 1800 these totals Avere respectively $01,804,080 and 
$3,701,378. The increase in quantity of wool used for Avoolen goods 
Avas from 83,008,408 to 154,700,005 pounds domestic and 17,311,824 
pounds foreign ; for Avorsteds, 3,000,000 pounds domestic in 1800 to 
13,317,310 domestic and 3,830,082 ioreign in 1870. The product of car- 
pets was $7,857,030 in 1800, and $21,701,573, with an increase in avooI 
used from 8,843,001 to 25,130,000 pounds. The value of hosiery Avas 
$7,280,200 in 1800 and $18,411,501 in 1870, with an increase in pounds 
of wool from 2,927,020 to 5,304,055. 



4 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

Since 1870 tlie increase lias been abont 25 per cent. We now mann- 
tactnre about tive times as much as in 1840, and more than three times 
as much as in 1800. Our recent importations of avooI are less than 
50,000,000 pounds per annum, and our home production four times as 
much. In brief, Ave manufacture four-fifths of all goods made of wool 
which enter into consumption, aiul what is better, we use home-grown 
Avools for four-fifths of that manufacture. 

Instead of increasing the cost of clothing and carpets, by the national 
))olicy of lU'oducing them at home, prices are lower than in 1800. Instead 
«)f wearing the shoddy of cast-olf European clothing, our goods are 
firmer and stronger and more durable than foreign importations. Had 
our factories no existence, the extra demand of 40,000,000 of wool-wear- 
ing people would advance the price of clothing throughout the world. 
Had they no existence, wool-growing would like\yise have no status, as 
the history of this industry, the tendencies of our rural economy, and 
the genius of our i)eoi)le all show that the success of wool-raising and 
wool-manufacturing is correlative and inseparable. If manufacturing 
declines in this country, Avool-growing will retrograde; if Avool-growing 
recedes, the prosperity of manufactures will be imi)aired. There never 
will he an export of wool from this country vnder any probable circumstanoes. 

The superiorit;y of American wools, in soundness, strength, and length 
of staple, gives our manufactures an advantage of great value. The in- 
A'entive genius of our people has already obviated much of the competi- 
tion of European rates of labor. Our factories are rapidly acquii'ingthe 
secrets of ])eculiar and popular foreign styles and fabrics, and even im- 
proving upon them and inventing new in-ocesses and textures. 

Fancy cassimeres were until recently entirely of foreign production. 
Now the world-famous establishments of Sedan and Elboeuf are e(]ualed 
or distanced. A bit of M. Boujeon's goods, taken from the inside of a 
collar of an overcoat Avorn by a gentleman from Paris, Avas the inspira- 
tion of the Crampton loom, on Avliich fancy cassimeres are noAV avoa-'cu, 
not only in the United States but also in several countries of Europe. 
These goods Avere at the Centennial Exhibition, and the Swedish judge, 
Mr. Carl Amberg, a practical avooI manufacturer, Avas compelled in his 
admiration to say to ]Mr. Hayes, the secretary of the Wool Manufacturers' 
Association, " You knoAv that the best fancy cassimeres in the world 
liaA^e been made at Sedan and Elboeuf in France. If these goods AA'ere 
placed by the side of the Elbceuf cassimeres, you could not tell one from 
the other, and the goods could not be bought at Elboeuf for the prices 
marked here." These goods Avere made from American avooI. 

The Avorsted coatings, dilfering from the fancy cassimeres in being 
made from combed instead of carded avooI, are a recent triumph of our 
manufacturing skill. These goods obtained notoriety in the Paris Exhi- 
bition of 1807, and liaA^e since been produced successfully here ; and as 
an incidental result another industry has been created, the com Mngand 
s])inning of AAorsted yarns, of Avhich an exhibition was made at Philadel- 
phia by companies representing $1,500,000 of annual production, Avhich 
obtained an aAvard shoAving them to be superior to yarns from the best 
Australian avooIs, being " kinder, more elastic, and stronger." 

luA^entions for lU'oducing felt fabrics, by tAvo Americans, Williams and 
Wells, after reported failures of the French in the same direction, are 
used on both continents for almost innumerable forms of goods. 

In flannels, America has already surpassed Europe, making goods of 
a better quality, because asAvell made of better avooI. For tAA'enty years 
Euro})ean flannels have been driven from our markets, and Ave uoav ex- 
port them to Canada, and may soon be able to make a market for them 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. O 

in Europe. The yarns from these flannels are more closely tuisteil, the 
j^oods shrink less, and are more highly finished and smoother in face. 
Even the opera flannels are now made here, from American wools, ■which 
produce a softer fabric than Australian fleece. 

Commendable ]irogres>s has been made in competition with France in 
the finer styles of ladies' dress g'oods, such as delaines, serg-es, and me- 
rinos. There is ai single corporation — the Pacific Mills — in Massachn- 
setts with a flooring area larger than a forty-acre farm, with facilities for 
nianufacturing a million yards of these goods per month, giving- employ- 
ment to more than Ave thousand laborers, largely women and children, 
with a monthly pay-roll of $ L00,()()0. 

IJut the greatest of American inventions and lirogress in the manu- 
facture of wools is in the production of carpets. Even Brussels, Wil- 
ton, and Axminster, of home production, are taking the i)lace of foreign 
goods. The imiiorts of carpets in 1875 amounted to but $2,G43,9o2, 
while the production of mills of the United States during- that year 
amounted to $32,310,108 — the monthly manufacture equal to the yearly 
ini])ortation. 

A few years more of success will perfect processes, reduce i)rices of 
manufactured goods, and open the markets of the woild to the suri)lus 
of manufacture, without reducing- either the value of labor or of wool to 
the level of foreign rates, or to the point of abandonment as unprofita- 
ble in competition Avith other labor. 

As the manufacture has advanced or declined, so has the production 
of wool. If prices have fallen rapidly, as in 1808, when in consequence 
of decline aiul panic in the markets of the woild, and the sale of an ava- 
lanche of military goods, our markets were glutted, the immediate result 
has been a sacriflce of sheep by millions, not less than four millions in 
the year named, mainly for hide and tallow. It may have been unwise, 
but the American people are impulsive, and prone to change a business 
at whatever loss that does not assure a present profit. There are a few 
wiser operators who act on the principle of buying- when others are sell- 
ing- out. 

After the first era of rapid increase, from 1802 to 1812, succeeded the 
fall of manufactures, and as a result the destruction of shee])-husbandry. 
Slowly recujjeration began the retrieving- of this national loss, until in 
3830 there may have been seventeen millions of sheep in the country, 
mostly in the Northern States. In that year a canvassin.g of the flocks 
of the country was made, with all attainable official data from the States, 
by Messrs. C. Benton and S. F. Barr}-, the ultimate result of whose labors 
is given in the following table: 



states. 


Number of 
.sheei). 


Pounds of 
wool. 


Value of 
wool. 




622, 619 

465, 179 
1, 099, Oil 

373, 322 
81, 619 

255, 169 
4, 299, 879 

250, 000 
1 714, C40 

150, 000 

275, 000 
1, 000, 000 
1,711,200 

600, 000 


2, 023, 512 
1, 511, 832 

3, 571, 786 
1, 213, 297 

265, 262 

829, 299 

13, 974, 606 

812, 500 

5, b7-i, 580 

487, 500 

893, 750 

3, 250, 000 

5,561,400 

1, 950, 000 


$1, 021, 873 

763, 475 

1, 803, 751 

61'' 71*) 


New f [atnpshire 

Vermont 


Itluxle Isliiuil 


133 957 


Conucclicut 


418 7SG 


New York 




New Jersey 


410 313 




2, 814, 153 
•'46 187 




Alarvland 


451 343 


Virsjinia 


1 641 250 


OJiio 


•> g(i8 ,50(( 


Kentucky 


984, 750 


Total 


12, 897, 638 


41, 917, 324 


■'1 168 "^46 







6 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



In 18.3G the imports of wool slightly exceeded 12,000,000 pounds. 

Numbers of sliee]) liad increased in 1840, according- to tlie census re- 
turn, to 10,;311,;574; in 1850, to 21,723,220; in 1800, to 22,163,105. Tliese 
figures were not quite up to tlie actual niumbers, as is now known, but 
much nearer the reality than the returns of wool, which were quite too 
low, averaging but 1.84 pounds per head in 1840, 2.42 in 1850, and 2.73 
in 1800. In 1870 tlie census returned 28,477,051 upon farms; while the 
estimates of this de])artment Ibr all sheep in the country Avas 31,851,000, 
and their aggragate value $74,035,837. The present numbers, assumed 
to be about 30,000,000*, exhibit wonderful improvement in quality and 



states. 



Maine 

New Hanipsliire . 

Verniout 

Massachusetts .. 

Kborle Island 

Ooiiuecticut 

New York 

New Jersey 

Pennsylvania — 

Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

North Carolina. . 
South Carolina. . 
Georoia 



Numher. 



Average 
price. 



riori^i 



Alabama. -- 
Mississippi 
Ijouisiana. . 
Texas 



Arkansas 

Tennessee 

West Virginia . 

Kentucky 

Ohio 

Michigan 

Indiana 



H, 
1, 
1, 

Illinois li 

Wisconsin ! 1; 

Minnesota - 

Iowa 



Missouri. . 
Kansas . . 
Nebraska . 
California. 
Oregon ... 



Nevada 

Colorado 

The Territories . 



Total , 

Grand average of jnices . 



525. 800 

239, 900 

461, 400 

60, 300 

24, 500 

92, 500 

518, 100 

128, 300 

607, 600 

35, 000 

151,200 

422, 000 

490, 000 

175, 000 

3>^2, 300 

56, 500 

270, 000 

2.-)0, 000 I 

12.5,000 1 

,674,700 i 

285,000 

850,000 

549,900 

900,000 ; 

,783,000 1 

,750,000 

,092.700 1 

,258,500 ; 

,323,700 I 

300,000 

.560,000 

,271,000 I 

156,600 j 

62,400 I 

.061,000 ' 

,074,600 I 

72,000 

600,000 

i, 600, 000 



2 60 

2 82 

3 60 
3 75 
3 70 

3 30 

4 46 

3 09 

4 00 
3 65 
2 58 
1 54 
1 80 
1 57 
1 90 
1 75 
1 75 

1 80 

2 09 
1 85 

1 92 

2 17 
2 97 
2 78 
2 53 
2 14 
2 48 
2 44 
2 20 
2 30 

1 82 
.2 31 

2 77 
1 52 

1 76 

2 00 
2 00 
2 30 



Value. 



,$1,4"1,724 
623, 740 

1,301,148 

217, OSO 

91,875 

342, 250 

5, 009, 730 
572, 218 

4, 967, 41-4 
140, 000 
551, 880 

1, 088, 760 
754, 600 
315, 000 
600,211 
107, 350 
472, 500 
437, 500 
225, 000 

7, 680, 123 
527, 250 

1, ()32, 000 

1, ]!>3, 283 

2, 67:!, 001) 
10, 5] (i, 740 

4, 427, 500 

2, 338, 378 
3,121,080 

3, 229, 828 
6()0, 000 

1, 2.^'S, 000 

2, 313, 220 
301. 746 
172, 848 

10, 732, 720 

l,8!)],29ti 

144,000 

1,200,000 

5, 980, 000 



81, 363, 062 



quantity of wool by a strong infusion of blood of the American Merino, 
aided in a very limited degree by breeding from the best English mutton 
breeds. 

Takiug into account with the fleece wool of annual shearing the wool 
of the yearly increasing numbers of lambs hilled and sheep butchered 
for mutton, the supi)ly of United States wools apin-oximates 20l>,0l)0,000 
pounds. It has not been estiuiated annually in this department, but the 
cominerciid estimates, possibly a little high, do not greatly exaggerate 
the quantity. 

* The estimates from returns iu January, 1870, are as follows: 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 



The following table has been prepared from estimates of Mr. James 
Lynde, of New York: 



Tear. 



1867 
1868 
180!) 
1870 
187 1 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1876 
1877 



Waslieil. 



140, 000, 000 
150,000,000 
134, 001), 00l( 

i:w, 000, ouo 

110,000,000 
120, 000, 000 
125, 000, 000 
120, 000, 000 
125, 000, 000 
110,000,000 
117, 000, 000 



Rocky Mouii 
tains.* 



11, 000, 000 

16, 000, 000 

17, 250, 000 
23, 000, 000 
25, 000, 000 
27, 000, 000 
37, 200, 000 
44, 500, 000 
52, 000, 000 
70, 250, OOU 
70, 250, 000 



7, 000, 000 

8, 000, 000 
7, 000, 000 

7, 000, oOO 

8, 000, 000 

9, 000, 000 
9, 000, 000 

10, 000, 000 

12, 000, 000 

13, 000, 000 

14, 000, 000 



Southern. 



000, 000 

t)0(>, 000 
000, 000 
000, 000 
000, 000 
000, 000 
500, 000 
500, 000 
000,000 
000, 000 
000, 000 



160, 
177, 
102, 
103, 
140, 
100, 
174, 
178, 
193, 
198, 
208, 



000, 000 

000, 000 
250, 000 
000, 000 
000, 000 
000, 000 
700, OOO 
000, 000 
000, 000 
250, 000 
250, 000 



* Including Pacific slope. 



The following- record of the quarterly average prices of Ohio clothing 
Avool (the best average product of American merino grades), as sold in 
the Boston market during the last seventeen years, is furnished by Mr, 
George William Bond, of Boston: 



Year. 


January. 


April. 




July. 




October. 


I860 .. 


$0 60 
45 


$0 50 
40 


$0 40 
37 


$0 52 
45 


$0 45 
37 


$0 40 
32 
*.30 
*76 
*79 
75 
48 
50 
45 
48 
46 
47 
76 
48 
47 
46 
40 


$0 55 
40 


$0 50 
35 


$0 40 
32 
*47 
*73i 
*83ii 
65 
60 
45 
43 
47 
43 
55 
65 
44 
46 
46 
31 


$0 50 

47 


fO 45 
47 


$0 40 


1861 


52 


1862 


*58 


1863 






*62 

*74J 
96 
50 
50 
38 
48 
44 
43 
66 
65 
47 
47 
42 














*70 


1864 














"75 
63 
48 
48 
48 
48 
03 
60 
54 
54 
48 
45 


"75' 
60 
46 
48 
48 
48 
62 
60 
53 
54 
50 
40 


"1 03f 


J805 


1 02 
70 
68 
48 
50 
48 
47 
70 
70 
58 
55 
48 


1 00 
65 
03 
43 
50 
46 
46 
67 
68 
54 
56 
52 


80 
65 
60 
50 
50 
48 
50 
80 
56 
56 
54 
46 


80 
60 
55 
48 
50 
47 
52 
80 
53 
56 
52 
49 


75 
70 
55 
40 
48 
46 
02 
72 
50 
53 
52 
38 


73 
67 
49 
45 
48 
45 
60 
70 
48 
53 
49 
35 


65 


]800 


56 


1867 


40 


1868 


45 


1869 

1870 


46 
45 


1871 


58 


1872 


57 


l!S7:5 . 


47 


1874 


47 


1875 


42 


1K76 


38 







' Average pt ice. 



The Boston record of Ohio wool prices, from the same source, is, from 
1840 to 18GI, as follows : 



Tears. 


Fine. 


Middle. 


Long. 


Years. 


Fine. 


Middle. 


Long. 


1840 


$0 45 
50 


$0 36 
45 


$0 31 

40 


1851 


$0 41 
49 
55 
41 
50 
55 
56 
53 
58 
54 
45 


$0 38 
45 
50 
30 
42 
47 
47 
40 
47 
47 
45 


$0 32 


1841 


1852 


40 


1842* 


1853 


43 


1-843 


41 
42 
30i 
34 
47 
32 
41 
47 


35 
37 
30 
30 
40 
28 
37 


30 
32i 
20 , 
20i 


1K54 


32;V 


1844 


1855 


34 


1845 


1856 


37 


]84'i 


1857 


41 


1847 


30 
24 
32 
36 


18.58 


36 


1843 


1859 

1800 


35 


1849 


37 


1850 . 


1861 


50 









' Price all round, 33i to 35 cents. 



While the prices of fine wools have declined all over the Avorld, those 
of coarse and long wools have a])preciiited, and the great increase of 
weight makes a much higher average value per fleece and gives a better 
l>rotit to the farmer than could the former style and i)rice of wool. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



TRANSITION IN SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



Tliere are those who jump liastily at conclusions, from insufficient 
premises, Avho point to the undoubted fact that numbers of slieep are of 
lat*'. decreasing' in the region west of tlie Mississippi and nortli of the 
Ohio, and assume boldly that sheep husbandy is unsuitable to that 
region and destined to be displaced. It is asserted that on lands worth 
$50 per acre sheep cannot be profitably kept. On the other hand, it 
is in England declared, from long experience on land worth $200 
to $500 per acre, that fertility cannot be profitably sustained without 
«heep. 

There is always a grain of truth in popular impressions, even though 
ill-founded. The explanation of the difficulty is found in the fact that 
sheep husbandry is not limited to wool -grow inrj. It is iindoubtedly true 
that tcool can be produced more cheaply on government land, or on rich 
I)rairies obtainable for $1.25 to $2.50 per acre, than on high-priced laruls 
near to markets. The competition of fruits and dairy j^roducts tends to 
drive wool-growing to the wall. "Wool-growing" has been driven from 
England ; it has been expelled from every de|)artment in France except 
the mountain districts, and nuitton and wool production has taken its 
place. The predominance of Merinoes has made the transition from wool 
to mutton slower in France than in England, yet, under the necessities 
of tlui case, none the less sure; and, strange to say, under the breed- 
ing' of Eandjouillet the Merino itself has become substantially a mutton 
sheep, very large in size, very coarse and long in fiber for a Merino, 
heavy in carcass, with an increased aptitude for taking on fiesh, and an 
earlier maturity. But this process of muttonizing a Merino has not been 
fast enough ; the English Leicester and Cotswold have been emi)loj'ed 
to facilitate the process. 

The government, which for ninety-four years has kept a Merino- 
l)reediug establishment,* with tendencies and results as above, has also 
a national /;er^er/e at Haut-Tingry (Pas-de-Calais, on the English Channel), 
established in 1850, for the purpose of breeding Leicesters and their 
crosses upon Merinoes ; and large imud^ers of these cross-bred flocks 
are now found in the regions of the muthwest and x>lains of the north. 
Then there are nati\e coarse-wooled sheep, also cross-bred with Meri- 
noes, abundant in Brie, Bergundy, Cliampagne, Provence, Peussilon, and 
other districts, that are among the most profitable flocks of France. It 
is even claimed that some flocks have ecjualed the Leicester and South- 
down in fatness and earliness of maturing, while their fleeces are scarcely 
less valuable tlum that of the Merino. 

The French have thus yielded to tlie necessity of making meat the 
first consideration, and in doing' so have been wise in their refusal to 

*The importance att.iclied to sheep-l»reedlng by the French Government is furtlier 
shown in UEcole de hergers locixted at the national bcn/erie de L'amhoiiillcl. Tliis iii.sti- 
tiition is intended to train yonn^j men in tlie management of tiocks. It is open to 
pupils from all parts of France. Every applicant for admissi(ni as an api)reutice must 
pass examination in his own commune, and must show that he was sixteen years old 
on the previous 1st day of January ; sonu' nioial and sanitary r(M|uirements are de- 
manded as in the other schools. All the pupils are boarded gratuitously, receiving 
the same fare as the rural popul.ation of the country. They sleep near the sheep-folds 
iu regular turn. Their course of instruction lasts two years, and no charge of tuition 
is made. The chief shepherd exercises them in the management of all operations of 
sheep husbandry, lambing, weaning, castrating, ])airing, gestation, parturition, shear- 
ing, folding, feeding, sliuighteiing, preparation for maket, &c. They are taught tlie 
best Ireatnientof sick animals. They also cultivate the laud. If their priuKiry instruc-' 
tion is di^fective, it is supplied by spec^ial teaching. Their instruction is tested and com- 
pleted by the subdinsctor. After two years of pui)ilage, if they i)ass a satisfactory 
examination, they receive a certificate, witli a premium of 300 fraucs. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. \J 

sacrifice the wool required by their iiecnliar styles of manufacture, and 
liave thereby gained, not the coarse fiber of great length produced by 
the mutton breeds, but that having much of the fineness of Merino 
Avool, Avitli a material increase in length. Their bi-eeders have demon- 
strated, i)erhaps more successfully than any other nation, that improve- 
ment in intrinsic value of fleece and increase in meat production may 
keep pace with each other. The climate, soils, and agronomic conditions 
of this country have contributed to this result. 

Sheep husbandr}" in this country is now undergoing the transition 
which has produced the changes indicated above in foreign countries. 
It is beginning to yield to the governing- force of circumstances, of cli- 
mate, soils, status of agriculture, and home demand for meat and wool, 
in the formation of types of sheep suited to existing requirements of our 
rural and manufacturing economy. 

In the Ohio Valley and Middle and Eastern States the idea of keeping- 
sheep year after year for wool alone is antiquated and fossiliferous. It 
is like raising calves in New England to be fed four winters for beef- 
making in competition with the winter feeding with the boundless plains 
of the Southwest. It is a logical sequence from blue grass and Short 
Horns that Kentuckians discard or modify the Merino. Early matu- 
rity, rapid conversions of forage into meat, quick returns, are a necessity 
of sheep husbandry in fertile and cultivated districts, which is driving 
to the distant West the business of jiroducing- avooI without regard to 
meat. Mutton breeds are increasing in all this region, and the Merino 
is receding, and the latter is so disproportionate to the former in num- 
bers that the present effect is to decrease the aggregate of flocks. 

There are several considerations tending- to such a change. The rapid 
increase of population, the increasing price of beef, the inferiority of pork 
in healthfulness and nutrition (it has been found difllcult to keep the 
hog from dying- before he is ready for the knife), and the incrciising de- 
mand for good mutton, all tend powerfully in this direction. The flesh 
of the sheep is the best meat in the world; it is also the i)oorest. A lean, 
thin sheep, Merino or scrub, that has outlived its usefulness as a wool- 
bearer, and been cut down by the relentless knife as a cumberer of the 
pasture-ground, and consigned to the pot in the vain hope of macerating- 
its toughened fibers, affords an unsavory and unpalatable meat, which 
has taught manj^ to loathe the very name of mutton and abominate its 
A'ery smell. On the contrary, not the aromatic flavors of venison, the 
gamy richness of wild fowl, or the sweet juices of a Short-Horn sirloin 
can surpass the virtues of Southdown marrow and fatness. It is sweeter 
to the i)alate, digestible with greater facility, and more nutritious than 
any other variety of food. Even the first crosses of such animals upon 
Merinoeswork a wonderful inq)rovement in the quality of the flesh. 
Among- the prime results of cross-breeding are increase of size, fecun- 
dity, early maturity, and early fattening. A greatly desired result is 
thus easily attained. 

The increase of mutton-eating is indicated by the rapid extension of 
sales in all our large markets. The British, presumed to be a nation of 
beef-eaters, rather deserve to be regarded as pre-eminently mutton- 
eaters. The prices of mutton have advanced more rapidly in England 
than those of beef. Prices in this country have also greatly advanced. 

Another consideration is the increase of price of worsted wools, which 
has been advancing, as compared with fine wools, for many years. The 
great demand of our manufacturers at the present time is for such wools, 
which they have been forced to meet in some degree by new machinery 
suited to the use of the comparatively long fibers of half and three- 



10 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

foiirtlis j>Tade Merinoes, by wliicli a large portion of tlie wool of Ohio 
and Michigan is substituted for real combing wool. Carpets, blankets, 
llannels, and ladies' dress goods, and much of the wear of gentlemen, 
require the wool of mutton breeds and cross-bred Hocks, of which more 
can be used, with the present tastes of consumers and tendencies of 
manufacture, than of the short cloth wool of the ])ure Merino. 

There is a necessity of sheei) husbandry for meat production, now 
l)eginning to be acknowledged in the Central States, as an ameliorator 
of the soil. While dairying, and the shipment of its products, with- 
draws ra[)idly from the soil its needed phosphates and other valuable 
elements, and reduces its fertility, the feeding of sheej) tends directly to 
the enrichment of the soil. As the immbers of sheep diminish, in dis- 
tricts ohlest and most systematic in their agriculture, the yield of wheat 
declines. As sheep became a more prominent element of English farm- 
ing, the yield of wheat increased, until 28 bushels per acre are produced. 
The turni]), which feeds the sheep that manures the field that yields this 
Avlieat, is deemed "the sheet-anchor of British husbandry." Our wheat 
yield averages but 12 bushels, and. never will yield more without the 
aid of meat ])roduction as a permanent element of farm economy. The 
superiority of sheep to other animals in this connection, even ui)on the 
farming lands of highest price, is thus attested by Mr. William Brown, 
of Scotland: 

Xot only in quality and variety, but proportionately to any other country in the 
■world, Britain feeds tlie largest number ot sheep. Irrespective of adaptability of 
jihysical characteristics, the mere fact that of all animals this is easiest ftnl, gives per- 
haps the largest returns in the shortest time, and is a lirst-class fertilizer of the soil, 
is sufficient reason for such a prominence. 

Mr. George Geddes, of New York, than whom no man in the country 
is better acquainted with the practical aspects of this question, writes 
conceridng it : 

It is not easy to see any good reason why the older sections of onr country, having 
great cities and manufacturing centers for markets, should not follow the example of 
]"higland in this matter. It has been proved by the best of tests, that of actual trial, 
that our soils and climate are well adapted to these heavy sheep. Nothing of uncer- 
tainty on this subject remains but the uncertainty of onr national legislation. A 
]>olicy of free trade; in wool and woolen goods would for fi "while destroy onr pnr- 
(diasers of wool, and ruin both branches of the business. If the existing revenue laws 
can be allowed to remain, we may reasonably hojie that at least tlu' present prices of 
f)ur wool will be continued to us ; and, if so, we can continue to expand the produc- 
tion. The business will, in the older parts of the country, be a close one, yielding 
A^ery small direct i)rofits, but indirectly so very valuable, as the means of making ma- 
nure to raise grain cro])s, that it will go on ; and more economy in food, housing, and 
general nuinagement will cf>me in due time as skill increases, and the mutton-produc- 
ing sheep and the growing of grain will go hand in hand. 

He gives an example which may be taken ns a test of the capabili- 
ties of tlie best farming districts for profitable sheep husbamlry. lu 
1840, Mr. William Chamberlain, of Bed Hook, Dutciiess County, New 
York, bought a worn-out hay farm of 380 acres. It yielded but 17 loads 
of hay the next season ; 40 acres of rye jn'oduced 400 bushels ; from 25 
acres of corn were harvested but 500 bushels; and the remaining land 
l>astured only a span of horses, two pairs of oxen, and a cow. It was 
too ])oor to produce red clover. The commercial manures were com])ai'- 
atively useless, wood ashes were better, but no means of recuperation 
were successful till sheep were tried, which converted corn, liny, straw, 
leaves, and weeds into manure, until, in 18()(), the farm produced 800 
loads of hay (GOO tons), 40 acres of corn yielding 50 bushels i)er acre, 30 
acres of wheat a^ eraging 15 bushels per acre, 30 acres of oats, 8 acres 
of roots, the pasturage of 300 sheep and oxen and cows recptired for 



SHEEP-IIUSBAJiTDRY. 11 

work, and milk and buttoron the farm. In aid of this resnlthohad the 
manure of 300 sheep, fattened the previous winter, on whicli he made $300 
clear profit, besides the fertilizer. He used the manure at ilrst, spread- 
in<;- it thinly to make it go the further, to render possible the growth of 
clover. Similar statements are among- the records of this department, 
with similar results, which show that the sheep is as valuable in this 
country as in Europe for sustaining and increasing the fertility of the 
soil. 

An imi)ortant branch of this industry, and one that many have found 
quite profitable on lauds worth $100 per acre, is the raising of early 
lambs. 

New Jersey, lying between the two largest markets in the country, 
Avhich feed a population of 2,000,000, is famed for the high i)rices of all 
feeding material ; and yet this branch of sheep husbandry flourishes there 
as in no other State in the .country. Her flocks, consisting mainly of 
ewes, are yearly changed. Selected in August for their thriftiness and 
adaptation to breeding, from flocks driven from Pennsylvania or Ohio, 
and costing- from $3 to $(5 per head, they are pastured in early autumn ; 
usually served by Southdown rams ; fed well during- winter ; their clips 
sold early in spring ; their lambs turned oft' in May and June, at $i to $S 
each ; and the mothers, in the mean time, fattened to follow their off- 
spring earl}' in summer. Thus, within twelve months, fleece, lamb, and 
mutton are converted into cash, and from $6 to $10 per head received 
for feed and care, besides a supply of valuable manure. Here are quick 
I'eturns and good profits. The breed is the common grade Merino stock 
of the couutry, selected with reference to size, thrift, and constitution; 
the lambs are cross-bred, partaking largely of the Southdown superiority 
in quality, and of the aptitude of cross-breds for fattening readily. Both 
sheep and lambs are disposed of promptly. No feed is wasted in keep- 
ing- the vital machinery in working order, and losses from old age and 
ei)izootics are avoided. This is the ])romineut feature in New Jersey 
sheep-farming ; it yields a present j)rofit, and insures future fertility. 

Some counties in Southern New York and Eastern Pennsylvania pur- 
sue a similar course, to some extent, with similar results; some flocks 
yielding a gross increase of 200 per cent, upon original cost, within 
twelve months. A flock of OS ewes, in the summer of ISGS, was turned 
upon Virginia wheat stubble, seeded with clover, a»d, without other 
feed or care, over 100 lambs were sold in May, 1800, at $5 per head, 
realizing nearly $300 above the cost of the ewes, in addition to the original 
stock and wool on hand, A gentleman in New Kent County, Virginia, 
writes me that he keeps 100 common ewes; breeds to Southdowns; sells 
an average of 80 lambs annually, at $4 each, and obtains enough for 
wool to pay all expenses of keeping, while the benefit received by his 
land is equal to the interest on its value, leaving the receipts for lambs 
as interest and profits on investment. Another, in Clarke County, Vir- 
ginia, tried Merinoes and Cotswolds. Both breeds did Avell, but, while 
the ]\rerino lambs brought $2 each, the Cotswolds Avere worth $1, and 
the prolificacy of the Cotswolds was far greater. 

The circumstances which envelop this industry in the United States 
are rather like those obtaining in France than those influencing British 
breeding, in the fact that our improved sheep are high-bred Merinoes 
and our common stock largely modified by Merino blood. Our manu- 
factures, also, are tending toward the French type, and our hope of 
commanding the future markets of the world depends upon our quick 
invention, iacile skill, and deft manipulation, so necessary to the 
lighter fabrics of taste and fancy, in Avhich excellence has already been 
attained. For providing the wool requisite for such work there is no 



12 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



better foundation than the Merino. As we have inventi\^e genius, and 
the ])redoniinaiice of this style of flocks, all that is needed is skill in 
cross breeding with combing- wool rams to produce any kind of wool 
desired for tasteful and high-priced goods. With practical judgment in 
feeding, with reference first to quick production of meat, and incident- 
ally to the best results in wool, the business of sheep-husbandry should 
become far more profitable than as at present conducted, and more gen- 
erally extended throughout the densely-settled districts of the United 
States. 

ROCKY-MOUNTAIN SHEEP-WALKS. 

From Mexico to the British Possessions, from the Missouri Eiver to 
the Pacific Ocean, an area of more than a thousand million of acres* 



states and Territories. 



No. acres in* No. acres not 



faims. 



in farms. 



Xo. acres iu 
total area. 



Kansas . . . 
Nebi'aska . 
California 

Oregon 

X^evadii . .. 



Colorado 

Utah 

New Mexico . 
Washington . 

Dakota 

Montana 

Idaho 

Arizona 

AVyoniing 

Indian 



, 6.ifi, 879 

, 07:!, 781 
, 4-J7, im 
, ;i8!), 2:)2 
208,510 

:!2(i, :«G 
148, :^()i 

()-t9, 130 
802, :j70 
129, ii:!7 
77, 189 
21,807 
4,841 



46, 
46. 
109, 
.58, 
71, 
66, 
53, 
76, 
44, 
96. 
91. 
55, 
72, 
62, 
44, 



386, 681 
.563, 019 
520, 785 
586, 108 
529, 090 
55:), 6.54 
916,682 
735, 091 
147,021 
293, 7.52 
877, 103 
151, 021 
884, 433 
640, 727 
154, 240 



48, 
120, 
60 
71 
66 
.54, 
77, 
44, 



043, 520 
636, 800 
947, 840 
975, 860 
7:i7, 600 
880, 000 
065, 048 
568, 640 
796, 160 
.596, 128 
016, 640 
228, 160 
906, 240 
645, 068 
154, 240 



Total. 



24, 252, 122 996, 945, 317 



1, 021, 197, 489 



(not including Alaska) has been for ages the iKune of countless num- 
bers of the buffalo, of the antelope, and on the higher elevations the 
Rocky-Mountain sheep and the Kocky-Mountain goat. Relatively, few 
are the acres that do not supply some form of vegetation for herbi- 
vorous animals. Their bones lie bleaching on plain and mountain 
slope, flecking with white the landscajie at every view, from the lowest 
levels u}) to the timber-line. WJiile Mount Washington, at an eleva- 
tion of 5,000 feet, is barren rock, with scarcely a vestige of vegetable 
life, the scores of. peaks of the Sierra Madre, up to 10,000 and 12,000 
feet, abound with grassy slopes and shady nooks, dense with a luxu- 
riant growth of grass. At 7,000 feet the climate and herbage combine 
to furnish the advantages of the dairy region of Northern Xew York. 
At so high a latitude as the i)lains of Laramie the pasturage is a wonder 
of freshness and abundance. Like an inland sea of emerald, tlie range 
stretches from horizon to horizon, relieved only by straggling patches 
of motley color of bovine herds, or white specks of scarcely distinguish- 
able flocks.* 

* Little more than two x)er cent, of this area is land now in farmw, as the following 
table shows : 

* Prof. Cyrus Thomas, the tox)ooTai>her of Hayden's survey, in a communicatiou to 
this dcjiartincnt, has said: 

" Tlu re is iirobal)ly no liner grazing region in Wyoming than this. The southeastern 
part is literally carpeted with a eompaet growth of rich and nutritious grasses, kej^t 
constantly fresh by the -water of the numerous mountain streams. The rainfall is 
also greater than in any other part of the Territory, and it seems to be on tin-, increase. 
Notwillistanding the elevation of these i)lains, the winters are comparatively mild 
and o])eu, the fall of snow being light, and stock is wintered Avithout shelter, and 
-with very little feeding. Large Hocks of sheep and cattle have passed the winter 
here with no other feed than the uncut grass of the valleys and plain:^. Hay in abun- 
dance and of the best ipiality can be obtained along the creek bottoms at nominal 
expense." 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 



13 



Here are mountain basins, parks large enougli for a principality, and 
plains carpeted with herbage that stretch eastward five hnntlred miles. 
The valleys of countless rivers, meandering for hundreds of miles, are 
in many cases miles in width, with taller growths, offering to the first 
mower that appears thousands of tons of wild hay. Even the blutfs of 
many of these streams are rounded and grass-grown, and many of the 
long slopes, especially of the more northern j)ortion of the mother range, 
are simjjly rolling mountain ])rairies. 

In a small section of this great domain, the ISTorth Platte Valley, flow 
tributary streams, draining and watering a pastoral region that has 
been estimated at 40,000,000 acres. Some of the larger are, on the north, 
the Blue Water, Cold Water, Hill Creek, Eaw Hide, Muddy, Willow, 
Shawnee, State, and Sweet Water; and, ou the south, the Ash, Pump- 
kin, Larran's, Dog, Horse, Cherry, Chugwater, Sybelle, Pig Laramie, 
(faster, Cottonwood, Horseshoe, Elk Horn, La Prele, Boisee, Deer Creek, 
Medicine Bow, Rock Creek, Douglas, ISTorth, South and Middle Forks. 
These streams and their feeders Avould make a formidable list; but similar 
lists would be required for the Arkansas, the Canadian, the Colorado, 
('olumbia, Sacramento, and many others. Ten years of exi)loration, bj' 
three separate expeditious, at a cost of one to two millions of dollars, 
have surveyed and mapped but a small portion of this Territory. Much 
has been written of these resources, and more is still unknown of the 
details of the wealth of pasturage yet unutilized. Of course, there is 
nuich that is thin and sparse, nuich that is covered with sage, and among 
the mountains bare and frowning surfaces of rock. 

A comi)etent practical authority, Mr. Elihu Hall, of Illinois, has fur- 
Jiished the department a list of fifty-seven genera and one hundred and 
forty-three species of grasses growing on the eastern side of the princi- 
l)al range, of which fifty-two are not found east of the Missouri, belong- 
ing exclusively to the plain and mountain region. The relative distri- 
l)ution of the twelve more important species is thus i)reseuted, with their 
liabitat: 



Aiiflropognn fiirc.atns.. 
Audropojioii scnpaiius 

Si)ij;hiiin nutans 

Spoiolioliis lii'ttTolepis 

Biiclilre dactvloitlcs 

Boiitcloiia oli.irostachya 
Spartina cynosuroides. 

Fcstiica ovina 

Fes t Ilea iniicrnstachj'a. 

Kioniiis Kalniii 

I'oa st'iotina 

Stipa viridula , 



Plains. Mountains. 



Per cent. 


Per cent. 


40 


16 


20 


10 


20 


12 


12 


1 


5 


5 





10 


2 


2 





20 





5 





8 





8 





5 



Andropojon ftircatHH, Anclropofion scoparim, and Sorr/hum nutant, by tlioir abunilaiice 
in all the eastern portions of tlie district, are the leading species, and at present com- 
priso at least three-fonrths of the <^ra7,iu>4 resources of that portion of the country. 
Next in importance follows Sporobolm hetcrolepis. This species is peculiarily palatable 
to cattle, and they are seen roviuij; over rich pasture of other species in search of it. 
This is also said to be the winter fora.je species of Kansas, where it abounds, alford- 
inyj the rich winter pasturaj^e of thii fariniu's and hei'ders of that State. It nourishes 
chielly on the moister portions of the plains, and many local areas are almDst exclu- 
sively occupied by it. 

The increase of sheep-husbandry in sections of this great area has been 
more rapid during the past ten years than in any other era or portion 
of the country. It produces now about the same amount of wool that 



14 ' SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

was dipped from all the flocks of tlie country in lcS60. California alone 
produces as niucU as the census rei)orted in ISoO for the United States 
entire. In ten years, from 1807, the year of the enactment of the pres- 
ent tariff, the increase in wool of the Rocky Mountain areas has been 
fourfold, and the product can still be immensely enlarged. 

The cost of keeping- sheep per head, nnder judicious management, in 
the main rauge of the Eocky Mountains, has been popularly estimated 
for several years past at thirty cents. Estimates of cost of products 
must be received with caution, as results vary with the incidents and 
accidents of ]iastoral experience and the judgment and energy of ]iro- 
prietors. It is safe to say that the field for sheep-husbandry here is 
continental, pasturage free to the first comers in the unoccupied andun- 
surveyed public domain, and the cost includes only the original stock, 
a small stock of fixtures and material, rei)resenting a "])lant" of incon- 
siderable magnitude, and a minimum amount of labor and care. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 



The sixteen States lying between Delaware and Missouri and between 
the Ohio River and the Gulf of jMexico had a popuhition in 1.S70 of 
]c>,877,015; and two-thirds of all engaged in occupations — industrial, mer- 
cantile, professional, or othei' — were in some rural avocation.* They 

* In 1870, the proportions of persons in agriculture to those iu all occupations was as 
follows : 



States. 



Delaware 

Mav.vlanil 

Virjiiiiia 

AVost Virginia 

Xorth Carolina 

South Carolina 

Gcoriiia 

I'loriila 

Alabama 



i In all occu- 
i patiouH. 



40, 313 
2."i«, 'iV.i 
iVl, (30-) 
J ir>, '-'2!) 

351, '2it9 
2«:i, 301 
444, 078 
60, 703 
305, 258 



In agricul- 
ture. 



15, 973 

80, 440 
244, 550 

73, !)()0 
209, 238 
206, 654 
336, 145 

42, 492 
291, 628 



States 



Mis.sissippi 

Louisiana 

TeX.IH 

Arliansas 

TeniU'S.seo 

Kentucky 

Missouri 

Total 



In all occu- In agricul- 
pations. ture. 



318, 850 
256, 452 
237, 120 
135,949 
307, 987 
414, 593 
505, 556 



4 548, 502 



2.50,199 
141,467 
106, 753 
109, 310 
267, 020 
201, 080 
203, 918 



3, 029, 836 



have an area more than twice as large as that of the original thirteen 
States, larger than the actual area in farms in the United States, and 
almost a fourth of the entire area of the national domain. Nearly half of 
this acreage, amounting to more than two hundred million acres, is in 
wild pasturage of more or less value for subsistence of farm stock, and 
much of this herbage is unutilized to-day. Sheep do well in this region, 
which comprises all the climates and soils of the temperate zone. There 
is no portion of it unsuited to sheep-husbandry. Some of the finest sam- 
ples of Saxon wool have been produced, even in its lower latitudes, 
without sensible deterioration of liber from excessive heat. 

The business of woal-growing was initiated at a very early day; Wash- 
ington, J* lierson, Custis, and other eminent citizens felt a ])ersonal in- 
terest in it, and took a .n'ominent part in the introduction of improved 
breeds of sheep. John liandolph did not represent public opinion when 
he said he would at any time go a mile out of his way to kick a sheep. 
Yet the increase of numbers and advancement in breeding have not 
been commensurate with these resources and successful beginnings. 

What reasons can be assigned for i)rogress so slow ? IVlany, i)erhaps, 
but one will suffice: the preponderance of cotton and the absorbing in- 
terest in its culture. With an agricultural system so bmited it is not 
strange that sheep-husbandry has assumed so little importance. Under 
the circumstances, with the prevalent aversion to diversity of rural i)ro- 
duction, progress has been considerable, demonstrating the dominating 
force of great natural resources in rural industries. The peculiar advan- 
tages of Texas long since attracted the attention of the world, and avooI- 
growing has divided with beef production the labors and profits of its 
lural economy. The other tifteen States give this indufstry much less 
l)roininence, but together they support nearly twice as many shee]) as 
Texas. The numbers in these States, as reported in the census of 1850, 



16 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY, 



were G,G35,07G ; in 18C0, 7,050,834 ; in 1870, 6,703,221. At the present time 
the aggregate is asssnnied to be about ten millions. 

There is another element in /he extension of wool-growing which is 
l)egiuning to be active and intluential — the advance in the inanufacture 
of wool. It should act more powerfully in the future. With a small 
beginning in 1850 it has nearly doubled during each decade. At this 
rate of progress consumption will soon be upon the heels of production, 
and the future of the wool industry in both branches will be assured. 
The worsted industry has not yet obtained a footing in the South, but 
the manufacture of '' woolens" has made satisfactory advances since 
1850, as shown by the following arrangement of figures of the national 
census : 

Number of cstahlishmeitts, of hands employed, and qf sets of cards. 



States. 



Delaware 

>litr.ylanil 

Viryiiiifi, 

West Virginia. 

Kortu Carolina 

South Carolina 

(}cori;ia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Arkansas 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Missouri 

Total 

AgsTrosate of the United States . . 



Establishments. 



11 
31 

68 

74 

52 

15 

4(j 

1 

14 

11 

2 

20 

13 

148 

125 

156 



787 



1850. 



2,891 1,260 



8 

38 

121 



Hands employed. 



1870. 1860. 



399 
337 
278 
316 
249 

53 

563 

1 

41 
116 

29 
100 

31 
428 
683 
718 



4,332 



80, 053 



114 

381 
494 



253 

92 

383 



198 

235 

60 

43 



10 
437 

70 



41, 360 



1850. 



140 
362 

Glj8 



Number of sots 
of cards. 



17 

318 



1,646 



1, 256 



39, 252 8, 336 



30 


8 


60 


44 


116 


50 


132 




78 


23 


25 


10 


72 


30 


1 




24 


14 


17 


13 


12 


i 


29 


4 


17 




177 


1 


208 


8!i 


258 


15 



3,209 



Qtiantiiij loid value of wool and other material used. 



Statea. 


Wool used. 


Value of all material. 


Domestic, 
1870. 


Foreign, 

1870. 


1800. 


1850. 


1870. 


1860. 


1850. 


Deliiware 

Maryland 

Virginia 


Pounds. 

533, 732 

50(1, 291 

741, 000 

673, (103 

255, 693 

55, 696 

620, 937 

550 

196, 500 

154, 790 

50, 325 

278, 045 

115,330 

1, 03(1, l.'>3 

1, 639, 307 

1, 979, 671 


Pounds. 
12, 455 
450 
1,200 


Pounds. 

140, 000 
1, 055, 272 
1, 131, 000 


Pounds. 
393, 000 
430, 300 

1, 554, 110 


Dollars. 

392,614 

233, 924 

317, 800 

307, 051 

166, 497 

22, 238 

268, 176 

1.-50 

57, 338 

70, 56(5 

19, 047 

86, 817 

.5.5, 782 

503, 737 

831,628 

849.313 


Dollars. 

75, 807 
267, 355 
389, 204 


Dollars. 
204, 172 
165, 568 
488, 899 


North (Carolina.. 




.504, .500 

250, 000 

1, 008, 600 


30. 000 


151,005 

60, 000 

260, 475 


13, 950 






153, 816 


30, 392 












264, 435 

27(1, 597 

69, 1.50 

81, 900 


30,000 


80, 790 

119,849 

31,300 

25, 980 




MisHinsippi 












10, 000 








T*uineH.see 

Kentucky 




10, 000 

1, 4.52, 500 

191,400 


6,200 

673, 900 

80, 000 


5, 225 

510, 902 

5(), 745 


1,675 

20.5, 287 

16. 000 












Total 


8, 825, 083 


14, 105 


6, 429, 354 


3, 351, 320 


4, 182, 678 


2, 034, 637 


1, 13,5, 943 


Agjrregatc of the 
ITuited States 


154, 767, 095 


17, 311, 824 


83, 008, 408 


70, 862, 829 


96, 432, 601 


36, 586, 287 


25, 755, 991 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 1 7 

Quantity and value of all products of ivoolens manufactured. 





Products. 


Value of all products. 


States. 


Cloth, cas- 

simeres, and 

doeskins. 


Flannels. 


Jeans. 


Tarn. 


1870. 


1860. 


1850. 


Delaware 

Maryland 

Virgiuia 


Yards. 
276, 332 

64, 490 
276, 610 

59, 623 
100, 000 


Yards. 

750 

31, 327 

19, 235 

135, 445 

1,690 


Yards. 

590, 000 

4,610 

3, 000 

89, 306 

153, 452 

13, 000 

177, 155 


Pounds. 

20, 500 

72, 100 

5,800 

116, 382 


Dollars. 

576, 067 

427, 596 

488, 352 

475, 763 

298, 638 

34, 459 

471, 523 

500 

89, 998 

147, 323 

30, 795 

152, 968 

78, 690 

696, 844 

1, 312, 4.58 

1, 256, 213 


Dollars. 
153, 035 
605, 992 
717, 827 


Dollars. 
251, 000 
295, 140 
841, 013 


Noi'th Carolina. . 


291, 000 

80, 000 

464, 420 

""'i91,474 
158, 507 
45, 200 
38, 7C6 


23 750 


South Carolina.. 


'"" 40,000 




Georgia 


119, 574 




88 750 


ITlorida 






Alabama 








107, 800 
2,087 
























Texas 


10, 000 






400 


15, 000 








Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Missouri 


4,158 
41, 585 
94, 610 


3,919 
63, 232 
171, 200 


145, 692 

1, 244, 578 

137, 920 


79, 002 

21, 440 

289, 525 


8,100 
845, 226 
143, 025 


6,310 

318, 819 

56, 000 


Total 


1, 046, 982 


426, 798 


2, .558, 713 


755, 036 


6, 538, 187 


3, 742, 602 


1, 895, 782 


Aggregate of tlie 
United States 


63, 340, 612 


58, 965, 286 


24, 489, 985 


14, 156, 237 


155, 405, 358 


61, 894, 986 


43, 207, 505 



In the cliange in agricultural industry so long heralded, from an ab- 
sorbing specialty to varied culture, from an extensive and exhausting 
to an intensive and enriching system of husbandry, which change is 
slowly bnt it is hoped surely in operation, farm animals have an impor- 
tant part to act, and sheep especially. Even as an initial movement in 
this direction, as a pioneer in recuperative agriculture, the sheep will be 
found useful on the outskirts of the farm, among the weeds of neglected 
l)astnre, in the wastes overgrown with blackberry and other vines. The 
sheep will feed down and destroy much that occupies the jjlace of nutri- 
tious grasses, and will subsist upon a mucli larger variety of jolants than 
the horse or the ox. As a fertilizer the manure of sheep in its intrinsic 
quality and its distribution and prompt utilization among the roots of 
grasses is unequaled. This has been so long and so notably manifest 
that the sobriquet of "goldenhoof" for the ovine animal has become 
proverbial. In England the sheep is the main dependence in the fertili- 
zation of the soil for the wheat crop. If the mutton returns barely 
sufitice to pay the field value of the turnip crop, the manure is deemed a 
liberal in-ofit. Good farmers in this country understand the value of 
the sheep as a means of soil improvement. 

BREEDS PREFERRED. 

The common or scrub stock of Texas is of Mexican origin ; in the 
other States a mixture of stocks derived originally from England and 
France, and modified since by chance crosses with improved individ- 
uals of all the existing breeds. There has long been a tendency among 
the more enterprising wool-growers to improvement of wool by the use 
of Merino rams of good quality. It has of late been most active in 
Texas, and has increased both weight and fineness of fleeces. There 
is still great opportunit,y for such improvement. When it is found that 
by two or three crosses the yield can be doubled in quantity and 
greatly enhanced in x^rice, nothing but indifference and neglect will 
prevent the improvement. 
S. Ex. 25 2 



18 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Where sbeep husbandry is conducted on farms as a regular element 
of the farm economy by enterprising cultivators, the ijreference is gen- 
erally for the mutton breeds — the Cotswokl, or the Kentucky sheep, 
Avhich is a modified Cotswokl, taking the first place, and the Downs 
coming next, either the true Suffolk or Southdown or the families modi- 
tied by Leicester blood, such as the Hampshires or Shropshires. 

As early as in the beginning of the present century some of the best 
sheep in the country were found in Virginia'. Washington, in his time, 
had collected a variety of fine animals at Mount Vernon from the sheep 
of England and other countries, and among them was a Persian ram, 
large and symmetrical in form, and bearing coarse wool of great length 
of fiber. Combined with Leicester blood, a Hock w^as formed for w^liich 
a claim was finally made to be considered a distinct breed, known as the 
Arlington. It w^as bred and owned by Mr. Custis. Hon. Robert E,. 
Livingston, who shared with Mr. Jarvis the honor of being the first im- 
porters of Spanish Merinos, expressed the opinion that this wool " pos- 
sessed every ingredient which is esteemed in combing wool. It was tine 
for the sort, soft, silky, and beautifully white. It is admirably calcu- 
lated for hose, camblets, serges, and other tine worsted fabrics." Mr. 
Custis claimed that some of these fleeces carried wool fourteen inches in 
length. 

Mr. Custis owned another flock for which he claimed wonderful char- 
acteristics, and gave a specific name, the Smith's Island sheep. He 
sheared twice a year, and got from his best sheep four pounds at each 
clip. He described this flock with great enthusiasm, but the Merino 
breeders of the time took exception to his comparison with that breed, 
which in Livingston's flocks yielded eight pounds, while the French 
Merinoes of the national flock of Rambouillet sheared twelve or thirteen. 
What was the origin and what the end of this Smith's Island flock is 
unknown to the writer, but the account of it given by its owner is in- 
teresting : 

I come now to speak of Smith's Island wool, a discovery from which will arise the 
happiest effects to my country, and yield the most grateful sensations to myself. This 
island [the property of Mr. Custis] lies in the Atlantic Ocean, immediately at the 
eastern cape of Virginia, and contains between three and four thousand acres. The 
soil, though sandy, is in many parts extremely rich and productiveof a succulent herb- 
ao-e,' which supports the stock at all seasons. About one-half of the island is in wood, 
w'lii'ch is pierced with glades running parallel with the sea, and of several miles in 
extent. These glades are generally wet, and being completely sheltered by the wood 
on either side, preserve their vegetation in a great measure through the winter, and 
thereby yield a support to the stock. Along ttie sea-coast are also abundant scopes of 
pasturage, producing a short grass in suunner, which is peculiarly grateful to the pal- 
ate of most animals, and p.articnlarly to the sheep. The length of this island is esti- 
mated at fourteen nnles, which gives that variety and change of pasture so necessary 
to the system of sheep-farming. Within it are various shrubs and plants which the 
aninuil a])pears to browse on with great relish, particularly the myrtle bushes, with 
which the island abounds. The access to salt also forms a material feature in the 
many attributes which Smith's Island possesses. 

Tlie origin of the Smith's Island sheep cannot be precisely ascertained, but they are 
supposed to be the indigeual race of the country, put thereon about twenty years since, 
and improved by the hand of nature. When we compare Smith's Island wool with 
the native wool of the country at large we are lost in astonishment at the wonderful 
interposition of Providence in our behalf, which serves to show what benefits we enjoy, 
and how little we have estimated the gifts. The Smith's Island wool is, without^ 
question, one of the finest in the world, and has excited the praise and astonishment 
of all who have seen it. To recapitulate the various opinions given of its merits is 
unnecessary. It only remains to be judged in Eurojie, Avhither a specimen has been 
sent, to determine its value when coni])ared with the famous Merino, hitherto the un- 
rivaled material in the woolen manufacture. The Smith's Islantl is a great deal longer 
than the Spanish, being in full growth five to nine inches in length, and in some in- 
stances more. In qiumtity it is also vastly superior, as the sheep yield twice as uiuch 
and in some instances more ; and, lastly, the size and figure of the animal admits of 



lIlWi'/ W'-%>f 




SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 1 9 

110 comparison, being higlily in favor ot'tlie Smith's Lslanil. The only remaining ques- 
tion is the texture. If the Meriuo is finer in grain, the Smith's Island is so tine as to 
answer every jmrpose to which the other can be appropriated, and so much larger in 
quantity as to yield a better profit to the breeders. No cloth which the Merino man- 
ufactures will be disgi'aced by the introduction of the Smith's Island; and many fab- 
rics manufactured by the one at a great price can be manufiictured of the Snuth's 
Island at much less. The Smith's Island is as white as snow, and perfectly silky and 
soft to the touch, and of delicate grain. 

The present preferences for improved slieep, whicli slionkl soon breed 
out of existence by judicious crosses tlie scrub stock of all this region, 
are very marked and confined to a few breeds. For the prairies of 
Texas, the wire-grass pastures of the coast, and the pastures of the 
mountain glades, including by far the greatest proportion of the pasture 
area described, the breed required is undoubtedly — 

The American Merino. — The original of this breed, the best fine-wool 
sheep for this country in the world, was imported seventy-six years ago, 
a little later than the initiation of the improvement resulting in the now 
famous French, Saxon, and Silesian Merinoes. It is only about one hun- 
dred years since the beginning of the dispersion of Spanish sheep. The 
best Spanish flocks of that day would be discarded to-day by sheep- 
breeders in this country, or in France or Germany. The improvement 
has been great in each country, and the tendency invariably in the same 
direction — compactness of carcass, greater size and weight, and fleece of 
longer but not finer fiber. The French is the heaviest, with fleece of 
longer and coarser fiber. The American is bred for comi)actness of 
frame, hardiness, a dense and heavy fleece of medium length and fine- 
ness, and has been improving constantly for the past twenty years. The 
advance of the past ten has added materially to the weight of fleece, 
both in the grease and when scoured. It is not uncommon for a ram 
fleece to weigh thirty pounds and scour eight, an accomplishment scarcely 
attained even in the days of Hammond. The improvement of the Mex- 
ican and other common coarse wools of Texas and the Eocky Mountains, 
and the consequent increase in weiglit and value of the wool of those 
regions, has been very rapid of late, the result of infusion of pure blood 
of the American Merino. A good type of the latter is presented in the 
accompanying engraving. 

The Cotsioold. — This breed is a favorite in the South on account of its 
size and hardiness, though few flocks there are up to the present stand- 
ard of perfection. In its purity it is one of the largest of the English 
breeds, though the improved race is smaller than the originals, on ac- 
count of the influence of the Leicester element in its amelioration. As 
a breed it is of great antiquity. It has gained in fleece and form, and 
comes to maturity earlier, is more prolific than the Leicester, and has 
greater strength of constitution ; is often fattened at fourteen months, 
yielding fifteen to twenty pounds per quarter, and twenty to thirty if 
kept till two years old. The fiber is 6 to 8 inches in length, and soine- 
times much longer ; is strong, somewhat coarse, and of good color. The 
mutton is superior to that of the Leicester, with a smaller proportion of 
fat, and the sheep are also superior to that popular breed in weight of 
wool, size, hardiness, and vitality. They are possessed of good figure, 
have a large head, well set on, a broad chest, a well-rounded barrel, and 
a straight back. They are often used for crossing upon other breeds, 
and for obtaining early market-lambs, both in this country and in Europe. 

The 8outMoicn. — For early lambs, in the vicinity of cities, this breed 
is generally preferred. Some prefer the larger Hampshire Downs to the 
true Sussex, the original Southdowns, which have probably the purest 
blood of any British race. While they have been greatly improved, 



20 SIIEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

progress lias been nu avoidably in one direction, and not by violent and 
radical changes. It lias doubtless been carried on solely by selection. 
In the production of the Hampshires and Shropshires, members of the 
Down race, there has been an infusion of Leicester and other blood to 
give greater size and aptitude for fattening. This is in harmony with 
the idea dominating in the Shorthorn improvement in cattle, of the most 
meat in the shortest time. This breed has displaced the old tiocks in 
Berkshire, Hants, Wilts, and Dorset, in England. The statistics of 
10,000 Hampshires during three successive years showed the average 
yield of lambs to be 91 per cent., and the mortality of ewes 5^ per cent. 
l)er annum. The wool is of good quality, but short staple, weighing 1^ 
pounds tine fleece. February lambs at English fairs in summer realize 
55 to 72 shillings per head, say $10 to $18. The accompanying engrav- 
ing represents an imported Hampshire ram. 

The Improved Kentuel-y. — Kot only have the established English mut- 
ton-breeds been disseminated through the South and bred successfully, 
but some claims are made for the establishment of new breeds, having 
the characteristics of mutton-sheep. Perhaps the most promiiient result 
of such mixing of blood is the " improved Kentucky sheep," originated 
by Mr. Kobert W. Scott, of Frankfort, Ky., which have had a good de- 
gree of ])opularity for many years. * 

The base of this improvement was a flock of thirty common ewes, 
known as "natives." To give fineness of fiber and thickness of fleece, 
as a first requirement, a Merino ram was used. The cross-bred ewe 
lambs were at a year old bred to an imported Leicester of large size, 
symmetrical form, and heavy fleece of long wool. To insure activity 
and hardiness, and finely-marbled mutton of high flavor an imported 
Southdown was used upon the ewes of this class with satisfactory re- 
sults, the originator claiming that the wethers of this cross were "the 
delight of the epicure, while the value of the fleece was not diminished, 
as much being gained by increasing the fiber to the square inch as was 
lost in the length of them." The next ram used was a three-fourths 
Cotswold and one-fourth Southdown, a large sheep with a thick fleece. 
Then followed two pure-blood Cotswolds, and a full-blood Oxfordshire 
of remarkable softness and silkiness of fleece. With such a history up 
to 1853 a fine mutton-sheep was an inevitable result, and equally inevi- 
table a tendency to variation and out-cropping of ancesti'al characteris- 
tics so multifarious, adverse to uniformity in transmission of the desired 
qualities, and fixity of type requisite to the establishment of a perma- 
nent breed. Mr. Scott then bent his eftbrts to this object, and claimed 
in 1809 that he had secured essential uniformity through the means used. 
An engraving of these sheep is here presented. 

The multiplication of animals of pure breeds, preferably those above 
named, for l)reeding purposes, and of flocks of high grades for the pro- 
duction of mutton, will be coincident with the cultivation of grasses and 
other forage jilants, and with the improA^ement of farms. There is much 
testimony in official correspondence to the practicability and profit of 
grass culture, of which the following is an example from G. T. Allman, 
of Giles County, Tennessee : 

Cnltiviited grasses do well on all lauds. All stock well sheltered will do better ou 
one-third less feed. Not one farmer in seventy-tive i)rovide8 protection for sheep. 
Where there is suitable grazing- sheep do well. Ewes pay two dividends a year, one 
in wool and one in lamljs. Practical men tell lue that sheep pay 25 per cent, more 
profit than any other stock ou the farm. There is more pleasure and })rotit in hand- 
ling iujproved breeds of all kinds of stock than in the interior breeds; this has been 
my fifty years' experience and observation. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 2 1 

The following is from W. S. Dodsoii, of Jackson County, Mississippi, 
on the Gulf coast : 

Grass culture is growing in importance to our farmers, and as a concomitant slieep- 
raisiug will receive more attention than lias hitherto been bestowed upon it. Tlie 
reporter pays taxes on 2,000 sheep, and his experience shows that the best sheep for 
the Gulf coast are the one-half aiid one-fourth grade Merino, produced by the cross 
of the pure Merino buck and the native scrub ewe. 

There is an inclination to attempt improvement in many quarters, 
without accurate knowledge of the elements of success by persons who 
have not yet learned how difficult it is to keep "new wine in old bot- 
tles." Mr. J. J. Thompson, of West Virginia, hints at this difficulty : 

We have been trying to improve our bi-eed by crossing some of the imported varie- 
ties on the connnon stock of the country; results are, however, not very encouraging. 
Perhaps housing the Hocks in winter and giving them more attention might be fol- 
lowed by better success. The experiment of clearing a large area of our land and lay- 
ing it under pasture, made of the tame grasses, has never been- made. I have no 
doubt such an enterprise would prove profitable. I think it would be the best dis- 
position that could be made of our hills and hollows. When our hills are cleared of 
timber and immediately sown in grass, without being plowed, they produce fine 
pastures. 

THE STATISTICAL INVESTIGATION. 

A circular was sent to correspondents in January last, by the Com- 
missioner of Agriculture, of which the following is an extract : 

The loss of the South by the waste of unpastured grass is immense. The value of 
one textile, cotton, is fully understood in this section ; there is another, wool, com- 
manding a much higher price, and produced almost as cheaply, pound for pound, 
which is not appreciated as its importance deserves. The Georgia Bureau of Agri- 
culture makes the net cost of growing wool in Georgia but six cents per pound, wliich 
is less than the cost of producing cotton in that commonwealth. Millions of.dollars 
could be added to the aggregate industry of the South by the general extension of 
wool-growing. 

A prominent aim in the investigation was to show the immense area 
of unoccupied land, covered mostly by more or less open forest-growth, 
comparatively clear of underbrush through the agency of annual fires, 
and green with vigorous growth of wild summer grasses, not of the 
highest nutritive value, yet capable of sustaining millions of sheep aud 
producing millions of annual reveuue. Other large areas of so-called 
worn-out lands thrown out of cultivation are capable of utilization to 
some extent as i)asture-ground. 

The comparative value of these grasses, the kinds prevailing in differ- 
ent sections, the changes by which superior genera are displacing those 
less valuable, suggested a further inquiry. 

Statements of individual flocks were also solicited, showing manner 
and cost of keeping and resulting profits. 

Other returns were sought upon Avhich averages might be based tend- 
ing to illustrate practical points more accurately than by a few individ- 
ual estimates. The principal of these points are as follows : 
^ 1. Proportion (percentage) of surfiice, exclusive of area actually cul- 
tivated, yielding grasses suitable for pasturage for sheep. 

2. Average number of sheep such pasturage is capable of sustaining 
during the summer mouths. 

3. Average number 100 acres would sustain in winter. 

4. i^umber of months in winter in which some extra feed is requu-ed. 

5. Average weight of fleece in annual shearing. 
(). Average value of fleece per pound. 

7. Average number of lambs from 100 ewes. 

8. Average percentage of lambs lost by disowning, exposure, or other 
causes. 



22 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



9. Percentage of sheep (exclusive of lambs) lost annually by disease, 
theft, dogs, wolves, or other causes. 

10. Percentage of sheep destroyed by dogs alone. 

These returns, carefully tabulated, after the correction of obvious 
errors and the elimination of estimates not bearing the impress of accu- 
racy of judgment — inevitable blemishes of general returns ui)on indus- 
tries that are either new or of minor magnitude — present the following 
average results in tabulation : 



states. 



Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

West Virginia 
North Carolina 
South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Ai-kansas 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Missouri 



1. 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 


6. 


7. 


8. 
19 


9. 


10 


50 


20 


4 


3.9 


28 


92 


8 


25 


47 


19 


4 


3.7 


28 


95 


20 


10 


■42 


55 


22 


3.5 


3.3 


27 


95 


19 


12 


50 


60 


20 


4 


3.7 


32 


90 


16 


10 


52 


53 


23 


3 


3 


26 


90 


20 


13 


50 


50 


22 


3 


2.9 


25 


91 


21 


15 


55 


55 


25 


3 


2.9 


27 


93 


20 


14 


60 


50 


22 


2.5 


2.7 


23 


89 


22 


18 


57 


55 


24 


3 


2.8 


26 


96 


23 


13 


50 


60 


25 


3 


2.9 


25 


92 


22 


14 


45 


70 


30 


2.5 


3.2 


22 


95 


20 


11 


75 


70 


33 


2.5 


3.5 


21 


90 


15 


9 


65 


60 


30 


3.2 


3 


27 


94 


18 


12 


45 


62 


27 


4 


2.9 


31 


90 


20 


13 


40 


90 


29 


4.2 


4 


31 


97 


21 


9 


42 


80 


28 


4.2 


3.5 


28 


95 


23 


11 



7 

6.5 
4.5 
6 



Area ofivild 'pasture. — The area of the States south of the line of Penn- 
sylvania and the Ohio River includes 570 million acres, of which three- 
eighths are in farms, or 211 million acres, and little more than one- 
fourth the farm area is actually cultivated. About one-tenth the entire 
area may be considered in use agriculturally ; the remainder, after de- 
ducting lakes and rivers, roads, and town-sites, and a very small area 
of sand or rock wastes, is productive of plant-growths in great variety. 
The forest-lands of this broad belt are estimated to aggregate 270 mill- 
ion acres, or 17 per cent, of the whole area A large proportion of these 
forests are j^ine, notably those of the belt of 100 to 200 miles from the 
coast, open to sun and air, comparatively free from undergrowth inter- 
fering v/ith the natural grasses which abound in variety and quantity 
according to the degree of fertility of the soil. 

This southern country is four times as large as France ; it is ten times 
the size of Great Britain ; it includes soils varying from the granitic to 
the latest alluvial ; it is favored with variety in climate resulting from a 
range of fifteen degrees of latitude and 0,000 feet of elevation. Making- 
liberal deductions tor cultivated lands, water, town-sites, and wastes, the 
uncultivated lauds will reach an aggregate of not less than 393,000,000 
acres, nearly sixty-nine per cent, of the area ; and of this, after throw- 
ing out of consideration dense forests of deciduous trees yielding no pas- 
turage wortliy of note, the area of wild pasturage — a portion in the west 
of prairie, a part on the mountains of ghides, the pine lauds and old 
fields, some very good, and much comparatively iioor — amounts to 233 
million acres, or forty-one ]ier cent, of the whole southern area. This is 
equal to the area of France and Prussia together, with a better climate 
and more fertile soil, producing grasses that are unused sufficient to 
l)roduce more than all the wools that Americans can wear. On the 
l)asis of these returns, excluding all extravagant views, the following 
estimates are presented, the reasonableness and moderation of which in- 
telligent readers can judge. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



23 



States. 


Total area. 


Uncultivated 
lands. 


"Wild pastur- 
age. 




Acres. 
1, 356, 800 
7, 119, 360 
24, 545, 280 
14, 720, 000 
32, 450, 560 
21, 760, 000 
37, 120, 000 
37, 931, 520 
32, 462, 080 
30, 179, 840 
26, 461, 440 
175, 587, 840 
33, 406, 720 
29, 184, 000 
24, 115, 21-10 
41, 824, 000 


Acres. 

700, 000 
4, 000, 000 

16, 300, 000 
10, 500, 000 

22, 500, 000 
14, 300, 000 
26, 000, 000 

17, 000, 000 
19, 400, 000 

18, 000, 000 
13, 775, 000 

145, 000, 000 

23, 580, 000 
18, 000, 000 
16, 330, 000 
28, 000, 000 


A ores. 

70, 000 




1, 000, 000 




6, 846, 000 




5, 250, 000 




11, 700, 000 




7, 150,000 




14, 300, 000 




10, 200, 000 




11, 058, 000 




9, 000. 000 




6, 198, 750 


Xexas 


108, 750, 000 




15, 327, 000 




8, 100, 000 




6, 532, 000 




11, 760, 000 






Total 


570, 224, 640 


393, 385, 000 


233, 241, 750 







Yalue of this pasturage. — Aii impression lias prevailed that this section 
is not suited to grass-growing. It is a great mistake. The most exact- 
ing labor and greatest expense in all the processes of cotton-culture are 
incident to the destruction of grasses. Every year a portion of the cot- 
ton acreage is abandoned to the all-conquering " General Green," after 
a desperate defense, in which every plow and hoe is brought into requi- 
sition. Many a cotton-planter is destroying grass all summer, and feed- 
ing his mules and horses with baled hay brought from the West in 
winter; but such dependence is very exceptional now, and never has 
been general. Away from railroad hues, if hay is not cured, corn forage 
and winter grazing of small grains constitute the only reliance for 
feeding. 

A correspondent in Chowan County, Korth Carolina, Mr. L. W. Parker, 
writes that " our farmers are spending all thek- time, talent, and money 
in killing the grass that would make them rich if properly cured." Cat- 
tle and sheep get little other forage than that of wild grasses as a rule, 
and work-horses in many districts are wintered mainly upon the wild- 
grass hay." Mr. J. A. Kimbrougli, of Tippah, Mississippi, says that 
in his vicinity such summer luxuriance exists that " enough wild grass, 
swamp and crab grass could be mown every summer to winter large 
numbers of sheep." 

Mr. J. M. D. Miller, of Tishemingo, Mississippi, says : 

I liave been in nearly every State, and know tliis is the best sheep country I have 
ever seen anywhere. Sheep are> always in good condition, and nearly always fat 
enough for tJie table. During the winter there are grasses enough on the small 
streams to support them without any feed. There are 50,000 acres in this county that 
can be used free of cost, or the laud' can be bought for $2 per acre. The county is un- 
dulating and well watered, ijerennial springs abound, and sites for manufactiu'iug are 
numerous. 

Mr. W. E. Kendall, Fort Bend, Texas, writes : 

About one-fourth the area of our county is cultivated. The remaining three-fourths 
produce line grasses, well adapted to sheep pastures, and yet there is not a flock of 
sheep in the county worth mentioning, and but three or four citizens own sheep at all. 

Mr. H. I. H. Sensing, Bowie, Texas : 

Sheep-raisers say that this is the best sheep country they ever saw. None of them 
have ever lost any sUeep from any causes whatever, except from the ravages of wolves. 
An almost ever-green pastui'e gives more than abundance of food, and there is plenty 
of water. The whole county, except what is uuder cultivation (about one acre in 
fifty), is one complete pasture. 



24 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Mr. E. L. Walker, Stephens, Texas : 

The mesquite grass is not killed by frost. lu August and Septeml)er tlie drought 
stops the growth, but the grass is cured by the sun, retaining its nutriment. In this 
State it is considered most valuable by stock-men, the cattle getting more nutriment 
in the same weight of feed. There is also a "winter mesquite," growing all winter, 
with shrubs and herbs, which sheep prefer. 

Mr. William F. Hicks, Lonoke, Arkansas : 

Our county is level prairie, timbered, and well adapted to sheep-walks, with an 
abundance of nutritious grasses ; but we have never tried sheep-raising as a business, 
which I believe could be made very j>rofitable. 

Mr. S. W. Cochran, Union, Arkansas : , 

Thousands of acres, and thousands of tons of valuable forage are wasted annually for 
want of being utilized in this county. Horses, mules, cattle, and sheep are healthy, 
and keep sleek and fat for eight months in the year on our range, and thousands more 
might. 

Mr. L. Orto, Bradford, Arkansas: 

All this county not in cultivation is covered with a luxuriant growth of all kinds of 
wild grasses that grow in the Southern States, with the exception of the mesquite. 
The river bottoms are covered with dense cane-brakes capable of sustaining thousands 
of horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs during the winter months without any cost except 
salt and the herding. 

Mr. A. M. Gibson, Blonnt, Alabama : 

This county consists of alternate valleys and mountain table-land (dry and rolling), 
elevation from 400 to 1,000 feet above the Gulf. The table-land has miles of unbroken 
forest, woods open, very little undergrowth, and attbrds unlimited and excellent pas- 
ture. It is anmially burned over. Where the undergrowth is dense it would take 
about 400 acres to sup])ort 100 sheep; out in the open woods 100 acres would be amply 
sufflcient. I have tried land that we had ceased to cultivate (which is immediately 
set with wild grass) and found one acre sufficient for one cow, or three sheep in stim- 
mer. I have seen many sheep-producing regions both in Europe and America, and I 
consider this as the best country for sheep-raising within my knowledge. 

Mr. William P. Eice, jr., Lowndes, Alabama : 

There are old prairie farms here, that have become almost entirely worthless for ordi- 
nary farming purposes, which would be valuable for sheep pasturage if properly set 
with Bermuda grass, which seems to thrive on such lands. 

Mr. H. Hawkins, Barbour, Alabama : 

We have no winter or meadow grass. We have plenty of gi'ass in the cultivated 
lields, but the fields must be plowed more than once to produce a good crop, which 
will be either the " crab-grass " or the " crow-foot," common all over the county where 
the land is cultivated. 

Mr. C. F. Sherrod, Lowndes, Mississippi : 

Lands are generally cleared and in cultivation, but any one can do well, who has a 
taste for such a pursuit, if he Avill take 400 acres of land, put one-fourth in Lucerne, 
one-fourth in Bermuda grass, one-fourth in clover, and one-fourth in small grain (wheat 
and oats), and alternate the clover and small grain. Lucerne will yield three cuttings 
of one and a half to two tons each. Clover two cuttings of about one to one and a half 
tons each. Bermuda grass will allow constant grazing from the middle of April to the 
middle of November, and the small grain will furnish all that is reiinired for feed. 
Land can be bought at $10 to $12 per acre. 

Mr. C. B. Davis, Lawrence, Tennessee : 

Such is the peculiar character of the soil that it affords a bountiful supply of forage 
all the year, excejit about one month or two at the most for sheep, and these lands can 
be bought for from 50 cents to $1.50 per acre; title good. A man with a small capital 
could get rich here in a few years. 

Mr. J. J. Thompson, Putnam, Virginia: 

The ex]ierinunit of clearing a large area of our land and laying it under pasture, 
made of the t.ime grasses, has never been tried. I have no doubt such an enterprise 
would x»rove profitable. I think it woiild be the best disposition that could be made 
of our hills and hollows. When our hills are cleared of timber, and immediately sown 
in grass without being plowed, they make fine pasturage. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 25 

Mr. J. W. Perrin, Abbeville, South Carolina: 

Lespedeza striata lias sprung up on uncultivated lands, driving out all other grasses, 
and aftbrdiug excellent pasturage for sheep from April to November. 

Mr. S. H. Davidson, Shari)e, Arkansas, writes concerning "barren 
grass": 

Its full value as pasturage has never been tested with regard to the number of ani- 
mals of any one kind it is cajiable of supporting. It is a fact, however, that not\\ith- 
stauding it has been used to some extent in certain localities for grazing and fattening 
large numbers of beeves annually, there is no perceptible diminution but rather an 
increase in the quantity of the growth, and a corresponding improvement in the 
quality. 

Mr. W. M. Barnitz, Eoanoke, Virginia : 

There are not over 1,500 sheep in our county, according to the report of the State 
commissioner of agriculture, and this is a county with thousands of acres of mountain 
and upland eminently suitalde for sheep-walks, where 200,000 sheep might be raised 
Avithout any extra amount of feed being made, and this source of wealth would leave 
us comparatively free from debt and taxation. 

Mr. J. F. P. Kruise, Menard, Texas : 

The proportionate area of gi-ass land is very large and well adapted to sheep. It 
comprises fully 97 per cent, of the whole breadth of the county, which embraces 1,200 
square miles. Only about 60,000 acres of this area can ever be made available for 
culture. The remainder is hilly, of' a stony, gravelly character, well covered with 
wild grasses, and eminently fitted for the healthful keeping of sheep. 

Mr. Qzias Euark, Newton, Mississippi : 

We have but a few thousand sheep, yet Ave have over 400,000 acres of unimproved 
land in this county, yielding a supply of rich grass sufficient to pasture at least 
1,000,000 sheep from early spring un^l late in the fall, without money and Avithout 
price. Do you ask Avhat use Ave make of this grass ? Why, set it on tire and burn 
it up. 

The mountains of Western I^orth Carolina, at elevations that would 
be barren in the White Mountains, yield luxuriant burdens of grass, of 
which the State Geologist, Prof. W. C. Kerr, says: 

These grasses escape from cultivation and iirojiagate theniselA'es CA^ery where, I 
have seen a field near 5,000 feet high that Avas seeded some tAveuty jears ago with 
timothy, and has not been under fence in fifteen years, Avhich has still a good "set" 
of grass. Oats groAvn at this place Aveighed forty-tA\'o pounds to the bushel. In the 
higher parts of the mountains (aboA^e 4,500 feet) there are three species of pei-eunial 
grasses, which send up their new shoots, or stools, in November, and remain green all 
the year : so that cattle and sheep require little care even in Avinter, except in case of 
a deep fall of snow, which does not happen more than once in eight or ten years. The 
ncAv Japan clover, as it is called {Lespedtza striata), has spread OA^er the whole of this 
region. I have found it in a few cases on the tops of mountains four to fiA^e thousand 
feet high. 

Dr. J. M. Brome, Saint Mary's, Maryland : 

There is one section of this county, eight or teu miles square, abounding in tine 
natural pasturage, where sheep-husbandry has been abandoned in consequence of the 
dogs. 

Mr. J. E. Bryan, Fluvanna, Virginia: 

Our broom-straAv fields afford passable pasturage. The climate is faAorable, and my 
own flock, though small in number, is really a fine one. 

Mr. L. Ballard, Monroe, West Virginia : 

Cannot say how many sheep can be kept on the acre, but 100 acres of ordinary good 
blue-grass sod Avill fatten 30 to 35 three-years old cattle. 

Mr. ]\I. M. Benbow, Clarendon, South Carolina : 

It would be difficult to find a better range, yet there are not more than 100 sheep in 
this county, 

Mr. M. Kemp, Marion, Georgia : 

With i>roper attention sheep might be made profitable, as the grazing lauds are A^ery 
fine for the purpose. 



26 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Mr. S. W. Cochran, Fulton, Arkansas : 

Niue-tenths of this county is one vast pasture of ricli and luxuriant grass througliout 
the STTinmer, and weeds and shrubbery that sheep are very fond of about for eight 
months in the year. Thousands of tons of vaUiable forage is wasted annually for 
want of being utilized. Horses, cattle, and sheep are healthy and keep sleek and fat 
for two-thirds of the year on ovir ranges. Judging from the small flocks we have, 
sheep would do well here. 

Mr. L. Orto, White, Arkansas : 

All the county not in cultivation is covered with a luxuriant growth of all kinds of 
wild grasses. The river bottoms are covered with dense cane-brakes, capable of sus- 
taining thousands of cattle, horses, and sheep. They cost nothing in the way of feed, 
winter or summer. 

Mr. J. F. Sellers, Perry, Arkansas : 

Diseases among sheep almost unknown. The wild range here is excellent, both in 
winter and summer, and if sheep were herded they would heed no feed except what 
nature furnished. 

Mr. S. H. Davidson, Sharp, Arkansas : 

Very little attention paid to stock-raising and wool-growing. We have a grass 
called "barren grass," which has not yet been tested, but appears to imjirove in quality 
and qiiantity the more it is grazed upon. 

Dr. A. Harris, Dyer, Tennessee : 

Our river and creek bottoms are covered with a hardy grass that affords fair grazing 
summer and winter. There is also a great deal of switch-cane that keeps green all 
winter. Sheep are very fond it. Thousands of sheep might be grazed on these bottom 
lands, Avinter and sunnuer. Sheep do well here, need very little feeding, not much 
subject to disease of any kind, and breed well. 

Mr. R. MclS^eilly, Dickson, Tennessee:* 

In mihl winters slieep can live here without feed, and require but very little, if 
properly cared for, in our average winters. Slieep grow very fat on wild pasturage, 
and are ready for the butcher in early spring. With proper attention this county is 
well adapted to sheep-culture. 

Mr. J. R. Martin, Roane, Tennessee : 

There is no country better adapted to the raising of sheep than East Tennessee. 
Orchard-grass grows finely, and is considered as equal to blue-grass; I believe it will 
yield one-third more pasturage, and will do well on any soil. There is not a finer 
stock-growing country in the United States, none possessing finer water or a more 
healthy climate. All we want is plenty of orchard-grass. 

Mr. O. F. Young, White, Tennessee : 

The eastern portion of our county is on the Cumberland Mountains, where sheep- 
growing could be made profitable. The pasturage (a mountain grass I do not know 
the name of) is abundant from the 1st of April to the 1st of December. There is 
also a swamp grass on which they can live during mild winters. 

Mr. J. Stewart, Shelby, Tennessee : 

The best of all grasses, though not a winter grass, is the Bermuda. Too much can- 
not be said of it as a pasture. For successful sheep-raising in the South, we Avant this 
grass alone. Wo have no winter grass. 

Dr. A. W. Hunt, Perry, Tennessee : 

In this county there are about 5,328 head of sheep, when we should have at least 
300,000. There" are 40,000 acres of improved and 97,205 acres of unimproved land, all 
of which grows wild grasses and forage plants in abundance. 

Mr. J. W. Bowen, Smith, Tennessee : 

No better grass county in the State. Every hill and valley can be covered with a 
rich blue-grass pasture. Always plenty of pasture for sheep in summer and for feed 
in winter. 

Mr. J. W. Boyd, Knox, Tennessee : 

An immense number of sheep could be kept on our hills from April to December, 
and would be in splendid condition to be kept through the winter. They might be 
made the most profitable stock kept by thrifty farmers. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 27 

Dr. J. R. LaEue, Butler, Kentucky : 

The natural pasturage is very poor on account of tlie dense forests ; lience, under 
existing circumstances, sheep are kept at a loss. 

Mr. J. A. Brents, Clinton, Kentucky : 

Sheep, when cared for, do well, and are profitable. Many flocks are not fed the 
year round. 

Mr. W. T. Pace, Metcalfe, Kentucky : 

The natural pasturage is very fine, and might be grown for 12^ to 15 cents per 
pound; thus far, however, farmers have not been inclined to go into this business. 

Mr. J. B. Evans, Monroe, Kentucky: 

With attention, sheep could be raised profitably. Immense ranges and no particu- 
lar use for them. 

Mr. C. B. Combs, Barton, Missouri : 

The top of the Ozark Range is well suited for grazing purposes. Ten head of sheep 
Avould not be a lai'ge number per acre. 

Mr. O. Euark, Newton, Missouri : 

We have but a few thousand. sheep, though there are over 400,000 acres of unim- 
proved laud in the county, yielding a supply of rich grass sufficient to pasture at least 
1,000,000 sheep from early sin-ing till late in the fall. Sheep should be fed and at- 
tended to in this county during the months of November, December, January, Febru- 
ary, March, and part of April. 

Mr. H. Fresenriter, Pemiscot, Missouri : 

Our unimproved lands are mostly covered with cane, Avhich affords good pasturage 
for sheeyt, and the same lands furnish a good grass for winter pasture for cattle as 
Avell as sheep. Our people are taking more interest in sheep-raising than formerly. 

Mr. J. W. Steele, Platte, Missouri: 

Some of our woodlands are beautifully set with blue grass, which grows as luxu- 
riantly as in Kentiicky. Some fine flocks of sheep have been introduced into this 
county, the fleeces of some weighing from 8 to 12 pounds. 

Mr. A. Badger, Vernon, Missouri : 

Oiir present stock of shee]) and cattle do not consume one-thousandth part of the 
gi'owth of grass. Three-fourths of a ton of good hay from an acre is lost every year*. 

How many sheep will this natural pasturage carry ? This may not be 
a very practical question, as the economy of advanced agriculture re- 
quires a proper balance in the distribution of farm animals, and renders 
it certain that all this Avaste of herbage will never be utilized by sheep 
alone. It is difficult to answer practically, because of the vast difference 
not only in the capacity of different areas, but in the value of pasturage 
ill different seasons of tlie year. Most of the natural grasses are succu- 
lent and abundant only in spring and early summer; others afford a 
scanty winter pasturage; hence the number of-sheep, if unprovided with 
cultivated forage in winter, would be limited to the winter capacity of 
the range. Returns on this subject, of course, exhibit great differences, 
due to the widely differing character and abundance of food-yielding 
plants of the districts reported, and also in a measure to the judgment 
of the reporters, whose views on this point nuist be largely theoretic, 
though based upon such experience and observation as they could bring- 
to bear upon it. On this account it is deemed best to exclude all ex- 
traAagant estimates, and err upon the side of moderation, if at all, mak- 
ing due allowance for unreported areas, and in Texas a very liberal dis- 
count for the wide expanse of dry plains in the northwest. Taking, 
therefore, the figures of the preceding table, averages so low as to chal- 
lenge the criticism of the enthusiastic, the reader will be able to realize 
the wasted resources of this pasturage, aud change the estimates, if he 



28 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



chooses, to suit liis own views. Upon this estimate the wild pasturage 
alone wonlcl support four times as many sheey) in summer as are now to 
be found in the United States, and in winter about twice the number of 
flocks of the country. 



states. 



Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

West Virginia . 
North Caiolina 
South Carolina. 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Aikansas 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Missouri 

Total . . . . 



Acres. 



70, 
1, 000, 
C, 84G, 

5, 2.i0, 
11, 700, 

7, 150, 

14, 300, 

10, 200, 

11, 0.58, 
9, 000, 

»6, 198, 
108, 750, 

15, 327, 
8, 100, 

6, .532, 
11, 760, 



233, 241, 7.50 



Sheep 
in summer. 



35, 000 
470, 000 
765, 300 
150. 000 
201, 000 
575, 000 
865, 000 
100, 000 
081, 900 
400, 000 
339, 125 
125, 000 
196, 200 
022, 000 
878, 800 
408, 000 



151, 612, 325 



Sheep 
in winter. 



14, 000 

190, 000 

1,506,120 

1, 00.5, 000 

2, 691, 000 
1,. 57.3, 000 

3, 575, 000 
2, 244, 000 
2, 653, 920 

2, 250, 000 
1,859,625 

35, 887, 500 

4, 598, 100 
2, 187, 000 
1, 894, 280 

3, 292, 000 



67, 420, 545 



In this calculation no reference is had to the feeding resources derived 
from cultivated forage crops, or sheep-breeding as an adjunct of inten- 
sive culture. In England there are sixty sheep upon every one hundred 
acres of the total area, even including the sites of towns and the hunting 
preserves of the aristocracy, while the production of beef, milk, cheese, 
and cereals upon a large proportion of the whole area is almost a neces- 
sity of national existence. The same proportion of sheep upon these 
southern lands would exceed 300,000,000. These figures, if never real- 
ized here either in pasture or farm slieep husbandry, aft'ord a hint of 
the great caj)abilities of this region in mutton and wool production. 

Necessity of winter -feeding. — The fourth column in the table gives the 
average number of months in which feeding is required. It does not 
mean that slieep must be fed continuously or exclusively, as in the Xorth, 
during the time indicated. On the contrary, there are few of the flocks 
of this region that are now, as a matter of fact, fed at all. When some 
l^rovision for winter forage is made it is not in barns, as in the Korth, 
with supplies of hay and straw, rarely with any shelter whatever, being 
simply a provision for winter-grazing upon wheat, rye, or oats, or fields 
of cultivated grasses, and sometimes in lambing time a little corn or a 
feed occasionally of pease. Cotton seed is used to some extent, and other 
products peculiar to these latitudes, among them " China berries," the 
fruit of the China tree, Melia azederach, which Mr. John T. Wingfield, of 
Wilkes, Ga., claims to be equal in value to corn for feeding sheep in 
winter. 

There can be no doubt of the advantage of much supplementary feed- 
ing facilities in the winter months. The profits of sheep-husbandry de- 
pend upon uninterrupted and equal alimentation ; irregular or insufti- 
cient feeding causes loss in both flesh and wool that cannot be repaired 
by subsequent care. In the wool it produces unevenness of fiber that 
reduces its value more than the loss in quantity. 

In Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, the period during which some ad- 
ditional provision for winter-feeding would be desirable, is placed at two 
and a half montlis ; in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Missis- 
sippi, three months; in Arkansas, a week longer; and in the western 
portion of North Carolina and Virginia, three and a half; in Delaware, 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 29 

Maryland, and West Virginia, fonr months ; in Kentucky and Missouri, 
a little more than four. But in all this region the cost of all needed pro- 
vision, mainly furnished by winter-grazing, is far less than half that of 
northern feeding for the same length of time. 

The writer has seen Hocks of sheep on the northern border of this vast 
sheep-range in West Virginia browsing in fair condition through the 
sheltering thickets in the depths of winter, when the ground was cov- 
ered with snow. Farther south, many a flock is turned out to receive 
no attention, and perhai^s scarcely to be seen, until the following spring. 
From the testimony that abounds upon the non-attention to winter-feed- 
ing a few extracts are given. Mr. S. Corley, of Lexington, S. C, says : 

Sheep do not need much provision as to staLling during the winter. A good shelter 
in the early spriug to protect the young lambs when di'opped would save many that 
otherwise die from exposure. A farmer tells me his sheep are now in good condition 
in the woods, feeding on silver grass (which is not killed by cold), and that they have 
not eaten a qiiart of pease ox other solid food this winter, showing that the small 
cost of growing wool, in this case at least, is equal to that of Georgia. 

Mr. M. D. Sanford, Catoosa, Georgia: 

Extra forage for three months is necessary for flocks not convenient to good ranges, 
hut, excepting when the ground is covered with snow, they are generally wintered on 
fields of grazing or winter oats, not wintered at large. 

Mr. S. P. Odom, Dooly, Georgia: 

Those that have from 400 to 1,500 head alloAv them to run at large until about the 
middle of March, at which time they are penned for the purpose of marking the 
lambs. 

Mr. John W. Curry, Manatee, Florida: 

About four months in the year sheep would do very well (from March 1 to .Tuly 1); 
then the rainy season sets in, and sheep would have to be driven to some place for 
shelter. This season lasts until the latter part of September, and the water remains 
on the ground until the last of November. 

Mr. G. A. Northington, Autauga, Alabama: 

I do not think sheep are ever fed in this county at all. If they are, it is only for a 
short time in the latter part of Fel>ruary and tirst of March. 

Mr. J. B. Wilbanks, De Kalb, Alabama: 

I asked one man what it cost him during the winter to keep a flock of seventy head. 
The answer was, ''Not over Ave dollars." Sheej) do better running at large than if 
kept penned and fed. 

Mr. J. H. Kraudier, Austin, Texas: 

Most sheep-raisers provide some shelter in Avinter, and some provision is made for 
feed, such as haj', cotton-seed, &c., some corn, and of late years sorghum-seed. Semi- 
annual shearing, except with long-fleeced sheep, is not considered prolitable. 

Mr. George W. Walker, Robertson, Tennessee : 

Farmers who raise sheep keep them up, and during the summer and fall they have 
the run of the clover-fields, herds-grass, and blue-grass lots. In the winter they graze 
upon the wheat and rye meadows, with a little corn, say one ear a day for about 100 
days. They are sheltered under sheds around old tobacco barns, and consequently 
they do not cost much. They are not raised for money, but merely for convenience or 
domestic uses. 

A very small proportion of flock-owTiers give adequate care and im- 
proved pasturage, and obtain results liberal in proportion. One of the 
most notable and successful of these is Mr. Tom Crntchfleld, near Chat- 
tanooga, Tenn., who claims a profit of 60 per cent, per annum on mutton 
sheep of the Cots wold stj'le. Of course a liberal supply of forage is 
essential to j)roflt with such stock. As a type of the improved sheep 
husbandry of the future, having in view the joint production of mutton 
and wool, his winter treatment of his flock is given : 

My bucks are taken from the ewes about the 1st of December, and are lotted to them- 
selves, getting extra attention, going back to the ewes about the middle of August ; 
the balance of the flock runs upon the winter gi'azing oats all the winter and until thu 



30 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



middle of March or first of April. This spring they were not taken off the oats nutil 
the 1st day of April. If, during the time they are grazing on the winter oats, there is 
a great deal of rain, and the ground becomes soft, they are removed to the meadow or 
grass-lot, where there is sod, and taken back to the oats as soon as dry enough. When 
taken from the grazing oats in March or Ai)ril, in order that it may mature its crop of 
grain, they are turned to orchard or blue-grass lots until June or July, when they go 
either to the meadow or oats fields after harvest, where they remain until turned into 
the grazing oats again in October or November. They are fed no grain or hay unless the 
ground is covered with snow or an extremely cold spell freezing up everything. In Feb- 
ruary or March, when the ewes are lambing, I take them close to the house, where I 
can watch and care for their lambs. When lambing, if they are limited in i)asture, 
they receive an occasional feed of shelled oats or corn, as it may be needed. I have had 
trouble tliis season from my ewes being too fat, and being unable to bring forth their 
lambs. My entire herd have access too^x'H shelter and salt at all times. 

There are indications that the importance of shelter is beginning to 
be appreciated. In Texas there are stock-owners who provide sheds for 
protection against storms. In some sections of North Carolina the most 
enterjirising i)roprietors give increased attention to shelter in inclement 
weather. Abont one-third of the Kentncky conn ties report some prepa- 
ration for shelter against extreme cold ; in Maryland, and in the Pan- 
handle connties of West Virginia, such care is not uncommon; and in 
Tennessee and Missouri its necessity is beginning to be seen. 

Average iveight of fleece. — It is useless to attempt a close comparison of 
the weight of iieeces of different periods. It is certain that there has 
been considerable increase of weight as a result of the use of Merino 
rams of i)ure blood upon the coarse-Avooled ewes of Mexican origin in 
Texas and the mixed races of the other States. The census returns are 
not quite complete in the enumeration of sheep, and in the returns 
of wool the deficiency is still greater. Whether the omissions are suffi- 
ciently uniform to allow of comparison with trustworthy results, or 
whether errors may be eliminated, is somewhat questionable. In the 
census of 1810 there were returned from Louisiana fewer pounds of wool 
than of numbers of sheep, but there were fourteen counties with 30,261 
sheep that returned no wool. In Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, 
and Virginia there were omissions to report avooI in counties returning 
sheep. There were repeated instances of under returns of wool, and in 
a few instances others obviously too large for the number of sheep. This 
failure to report is very injurious to the reputation of the South for wool- 
growing, giving a false impression of the average weight of tleece as 
compared with Xorthern States in which the greater prevalence and in- 
terest in wool-growing secure a nearer approach to accuracy in returns. 
In 1840 the census gave no Southern State an average of two pounds of 
wool. Virginia and Kentucky ajjproached that average, and none of the 
others reached one and a half pounds. 

A comparison of the averages deduced from the census returns in- 
duces the belief, in view of the irregularities presented, that in several 
of the Southern States the wool was very incompletely reported. The 
averages were as follows : 



states. 



Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

West Virginia . 
^forth Carolina 
South Carolina 

Georgia 

rinrida 



Wool, 


average per '1 


sheep. li 


1870. 


1860. 


1850. 


2.57 


2.66 


2.10 


3.36 


3.16 


2.51 


2.37 


2.41 


2.20 


2.89 






1.73 


1.62 


1.63 


1. 2-> 


1.83 


1.70 


2.02 


1. 85 


1.70 


1.41 


1.96 


1.00 



States. 



Alabama . . 
ISfississippi . 
Louisiana. .. 

Te.iias 

Arkansas . . . 
Tennessee . . 
Kentucky .. 
Missouri ... 



Wool, average per 
sheep. 



1870. 1860. 1850 



1.58 
1.24 
1.18 
1.75 
1.33 
1.68 
2.39 
2.70 



2.09 
1.89 
1.60 
1.98 
2.02 
1.82 
2.48 
2.21 



1.80 
1.80 
1.00 
1.30 
2.00 
1.70 
2.00 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 31 

The returns of 1870 from Texas evidently include only the sheep of 
settled farming- districts, the great flocks of Western and Southern 
Texas mostly escaping observation. Nueces returns 82,3GS; Webb, 
71,730; Zapata, 34,960 ; and Duval, 34,325, and no others as many as 
20,000. The total w^s only 714,351, a small pro])ortion of the actual 
number then in the State. The wool reported was but 1,251,328 i)ounds, 
or 1.75 i)ounds to each sheep, while the commercial estimate of Texas 
wool at the same date was 7,000,000 pounds. A com])arison of these re- 
turns by counties presents an impossible difference in weights of fleece. 
While there are no less than tweh^e counties reporting sheep without 
returning a pound of wool, one of which had eleven thousand sheep and 
another five, the range of average weights in other counties runs from 
one-fourth of a pound in Comal to eight and a fourth in Calhoun. 

The counties reporting a less number of pounds of wool than there are 
sheep, are Bexar, Caldwell, Cherokee, Comal, Cook, Ellis, Fayette, Free- 
stone, Gonzales, Harris, Harrison, Henderson, Jeft'erson, Lamar, McMid- 
len, Montgomery, Navarro, NcAvtcm, Robertson, San Augustine, Shelby, 
Stephens, Travis, Upshur, Uvalde, Walker, and Woods; on the other 
hand Calhoun averages 8.25, La Salle, 5.25, and seven others between 
three and four jiounds. Of course there are no sheep yielding but one 
])ound of wool in Texas or any other State, and of the forty-five counties 
returning not less than one or more than two pounds, there may not be 
one of them that does not actually exceed an average of two pounds. 

In Georgia several counties in 1870 make returns of wool that are ev- 
idently very nearly accurate, viz : Chatham, Columbia, DeKalb, Dough- 
erty, Early, Hancock, Mitchell, Richmond, Screven, and Upson, and 
none under three pounds per fleece, the latter above four. But no prac- 
tical man can believe that there are sheep that yield less than one pound 
each in Brooks, Burke, Camden, Glynn, and Houston. The estimated 
real average weight of fleece, as found in the fourth column of the table, 
gives a far more accurate idea of the yield of wool than can be gathered 
from the census figures. The heaviest fleeces at present are those of 
Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware, where mutton sheep of mixed blood 
are numerous. The average in these States compares well with those 
of the prominent wool-growing States of the North ; and a little improve- 
ment of blood and increase of skill and attention in management may 
make the average of the entire South as good. 

Value of wool. — Column 6 gives the estimates of average value of wool. 
It ranges from 21 cents in Texas to 32 cents in West Virginia. With 
the exception of Texas and a few districts which produce a surplus, the 
wool of this region is mainly consumed by local factories, which in some 
cases slightly increase the price otherwise obtainable. Exchanges of 
cloth for wool are often made at these factories. The New York quota- 
tions for Texas wools in January of the present year were : 

Free of burs. BuiTy. 

Fiue and medium 24 ® 26 16 -g) 21 

Coarse 18 ® 22 14 -2) 16 

Kentucky and Tennessee come next to AYest Virginia in price. 

Proportion of lambs raised. — The number of lambs produced show that 
there is no loss of fecundity, even if flocks are left to take care of them- 
selves. The range of averages (column 7) is from 89 lambs to 100 ewes in 
Florida to 97 in Kentucky. With superior care one lamb to each ewe 
may be depended upon, as in other wool-groAving regions, among grade 
Merino flocks ; with mutton sheep of 100 to 130. Mr. Crutchfield, of Ten- 
nessee, obtained 120 to 130 from his flock. Column 8 gives the estimated 



32 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



proportion of the lambs lost by exposure and disease. Coming- in winter 
or early spring, A^itli ver}^ little care to prevent dropping in the severity 
of winter, and often none at all to save the tender creatures from fatal 
exjjosnre, the wonder is that so large a proportion is saved. Nothing 
but the extreme mildness of the climate prevents a much greater loss, 
which is still too great and much of it preventable. Except in Texas, 
Arkansas, and West Virginia, no percentage is less than 19, ranging from 
that figure to 23. It is smallest in States in which exist large flocks un- 
der systematic management. Mr. L. M. Allen, Coryell, Texas, says: 

I have raised a lamb for every ewe iu the flock when I had 600 mixed sheei^. A 
small flock will raise more lambs than a largo one in proportion, and all ewes do better 
than the same number in a lot of mixed sheep. 

Proportion of sheep lost. — The j)ercentage of loss of sheep by disease, 
dogs, or thieves is large enough in all wool-growing countries to reduce 
materially the possible profits of sheep-husbandry. Column 10 gives the 
estimates of States, showing the smallest loss in Delaware and Texas, 
and the largest in Florida and the Carolinas. Upon the estimated present 
number of sheep, 9,887,600, the average loss is 10.7 per cent., or 1,057,275. 
The loss from dogs is about half of this, or 5.2 per cent., representing 
half a million sheep per annum, with a value of about $1,000,000 — a tax 
paid by a few promoters of a useful infant industry to encourage the 
extension of a race of mangy curs too worthless tor valuation, yet cost- 
ing other millions to feed, taking bread from the mouths of the half-fed 
children of the poor. The numbers of sheep in the several States, with 
the number annually lost, on the bases of these returns, is as follows: 



states. 



Delaware 

Marylaud 

Virginia 

West Virginia 
Nor til Carolina 
South Carolina 

Georgia 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Texas 

Arkansas 

Tennessee 

Kentucky 

Missouri 

Total.--. 




There is probably no obstacle to the rapid extension of this industry 
so serious as the risk of loss by dogs. It is nearly universal, and every- 
where deprecated by wool-growers. Legislatures have been appealed 
to in vain, and in an instance or two of restriction of the evil by taxation, 
cowardly legislators have yielded to the howl of popular clamor for re- 
peal. A few of the many references to this subject by correspondents 
are appended : 

Mr. Irving Spence, Worcester, Maryland : 

Sheep husbandry is profltable in our coimty, and would be very much so were it not 
for the destruction by dogs, which makes the experiment precarious, and sometimes 
disastrous. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 33 

Mr. Lewis Ballard, Monroe, West Virginia : 

The most serious loss of old sheep is from dogs ; probably 20 per cent, of all kinds of 
sheep are lost anunally by dogs, wolves, foxes, and bad keep. 

Mr. James C. Brown, Barnwell, South Carolina : 

Were it not for dogs your correspoiTdent could have 200 sheep well kept in his farm, 
without any extra forage except the natural pasturage. And thousands could be kept 
in this county. 

Mr. H. M. Hammett, Cobb, Georgia : 

Sheep-raising has but little attention from our farmers, from the fact that if a man 
gets a good flock started, he does not know what uight some cur or hound will kill 
them all. Sheep-raising can never be successful until we get rid of the dogs. 

Mr. R. H. Springer, Carroll, Georgia : 

It is a lamentable fact that the legislature of the State of Georgia has expended 
more money in trying to pass a dog law than all the sheep in the State are worth. Our 
county presents more valuable and numerous resources for this branch of industry than 
any other in my knowledge. No fanner, however, will venture on the expense of sheep 
husbandry as long as every man in the county is allowed to have as many .starved, 
u'orihless citrs as he wishes. The dogs are obliged to live, and will kill and eat all stock 
they cau And, hogs and cows not excepted. 

Mr. W. W. Abney, Jasper, Mississippi : 

We generally lose one-half. Three-fourths of these are killed by dogs. I have about 
25 dogs and no sheep, but would have 100 head of sheep soon if dogs were kept down. 

Dr. Joseph A. Leech, Lee, Mississippi: 

The people think more of dogs than of sheep ; every family, black and white, have 
from five to six dogs. I have four, and no sheep. If it was not for dogs I could have 
1,000 sheep at a cost of about $10 per year. 

Mr. L. IS". Ehodes, Cross, Arkansas : 

Our legislature of 1874 passed a dog-tax law, but the peoiile generally were so much 
opposed to it that the next legislature repealed the act. 

Mr. L. W. Hami3ton, Cocke, Tennessee : 

Our legislature, two years since, passed an act for the protection of sheep, by mak- 
ing it a priN-ilege to keep a dog for which the owner had to pay $1 per head. This had 
the eifect of killing a great many worthless curs, and consequently farmers were tak- 
ing an interest in improving the stock of their sheep by crossing with improved breeds. 
Our supreme court has, however', decided the law unconstitutional; therefore, sheep- 
raising will be greatly retarded, if not entii-ely destroyed. 

Mr. J. T. Eichardson, Montgomery, Tennessee: 

There is no use trying to raise sheep on wild jiasturage. Sheep that are turned out 
on the woods and commons get but a meager suljsistence, and are eaten up by dogs 
that straggle over the commons. I have found by thirty-seven years' experience one 
cau raise sheep profitably if he will attend to them and keep them in inclosures. 

Mr. John M. Hine, of Carroll, Georgia, started about thirty years ago 
with 15 sheep, mostly ewes. Several times his flock had increased to 
40 or 50 head, and as often was nearly swept away by dogs ; at one time 
but one solitary wether Avas left. He finds the cost of keeping sheep 
very little. The profit of the flock he estimates at between $25 and |30 
per annum. 

Mr. ]M. Chapman, Charles, Maryland : 

Our farmers are powerless against dogs and tender-hearted legislators. The only 
hojie we have is in the general government. 

Mr. P. S. Early, Carroll, Virginia : 

Sheep-culture is very poor for the farmers here. As the dogs have killed so many 
sheep, the attention is turned to cattle. 

S. Ex. 25 3 



34 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Mr. H. B. Williams, Mecklenburg, North Carolina : 

Sheep-raisiug iiiiglit as well be abandoned until legislative protection from tlie dog 
can be secui'ed. 

Mr. J. M. Barnett, Person, North Carolina : 

If there ^Yere any protection from dogs, sheep-raising would improve fast, as there 
Avould be many farmers to engage in it. 

Mr. J. K. Simpson, Polk, North Carolina : 

As long as there is no good dog-law, sheep husbandry cannot flourish. 

Col. A. W. Shaffer, Wake, North Carolina : 

Sheep-raising virtually has been abandoned. If tlie expected dog-law be enacted, 
sheep and wool will become the leading articles of production. 

Mr. J. Robinson, Wayne, North Carolina : i 

The raising of sheep might be made most i3rolitable if it received but half the 
attention the raising of dogs does. 

Mr. L. Harrill, Wilkes, North Carolina : 

Sheep are an unprnfitable investment. The annual increase is canceled by the loss 
from dogs. Farmers do not provide properly for their sheep. 

Dr. T. Long, Yadkin, North Carolina : 

The dog eats up the profits of sheep-raising. 

Mr. J. M. Hine, Clayton, Georgia : 

The dog is the only hinderance to sheep-raising. 

Mr. J. Simmons, Pickens, Georgia : 

Good county for sheep-raising, but dogs and utter neglect are the drawbacks. 

Mr. E. W. Eose, Upson, Georgia : 

The only barrier to a most successful sheep-raising is the dog. 

Mr. J. T. White, Taylor, Georgia : 

The only cost is shearing and putting the wool in the market. But few sheep are 
kept, as siieep husbandry is under the control of the dog. 

Mr. E. M. Thompson, Jackson, Georgia : 

But for the dogs the profits from sheep would be very large. 

Mr. Kenneth Clarke, Chickasaw, Mississippi : 

Since the war sheep-raising has been discouraged by thieves and dogs. This county 
affords excellent natural advantages for wool-growing. 

Mr. J. A. Kimbrongh, Tippah, Mississippi : 

The advantages of a most bountiful pasturage ami good climate arc more than can- 
celed by the ravages of the dog. 

Mr. S. G. French, Washington, Mississippi : 

Sheep husbandry is discouraged by dogs and thieves, as nearly half the sheeji are 
lost from these causes. 

Mr. William T. Lewis, Winston, Mississippi : 

Many farmers are abandoning sheep-raising, as it will not pay on account of the 
great losses from dogs, wolves, and thieves. 

Rev. D. A. Campbell, Richland, Louisiana : 

Sheep would do well if undisturbed by dogs and given proper attention. 

Mr. H. Arrington, Newton, Arkansas : 

A fine wool-growing country. Dogs are the only disadvantage. Diseases are rare. 
Cotton culture is declining and sheep-raising attracting attention. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 35 

Dr. T. 0. Miller, Sebastian, Arkansas : 

This is a natural sheep country. Require but little feed sunnuer or winter. Dogs 
troublesome occasionally. 

Mr. J. H. Earle, Ballard, Keutuckj' : 

The dogs have so discouraged sheep-raisers that at jiresent scarcely enough wool is 
raised to supply the county with knitting-j'arn. 

Mr. Wm. H. Tolman, Bracken, Kentucky: 

Sheep-raising has been almost abandoned on account of the dogs. A ripe experience 
teaches that the Cotswold crossed with the Southdown produces the hardiest and most 
protitable sheex> for this climate. 

Mr. R. Waters, Oldham, Kentucky : 

Three times as many sheei) as are no\v in this county could be i)rofitably kept. Yet 
notAvithstanding a dog-law, the farmers cannot ijrevail against the sheep-killing dogs. 

Mr. J. J. Gilbert, Owsley, Kentuclcy : 

Sheep-raising has become unpopular — the losses from destruction by dogs make it 
unprofitable. Not half the usual number are now in this county. 

Mr. W. L. Scroggs, Dade, Missouri : 

The tax on all dogs, more than one to each tax-payer, has perceptibly diminished the 
number of worthless curs. 

Mr. W. S. Goodman, Lawrence, Missouri : 

SheeiJ-raising is very much neglected on account of heavy losses caused by dogs. 

Mr. A. K. Denny, of B05 le County, Missouri, has the courage to tell 
the plain truth upon the dog question, as follows : 

It is a humiliating confession to make, yet it is true, that as a State we have not 
reached that advanced civilization which will promptly give to the sheep, that inno- 
cent, defenseless, most useful animal, that protection which its position as a food and 
clothes producing animal demands. Our legislature very readily passes most stringent 
laws for the protection of the lish in our waters, the squirrels of our forests, the rabbits 
in our fields, and all kinds of birds of the forest and field and those that soar above 
the earth, but when it comes to their best friend, one they cannot possibly do with- 
out, they become paralj^zed with fear, and proceed with a politician's caution and are 
careful to pass no law that would wound a voter's feelings or hurt a high-born dog. 

DISTRIBUTION OF GRASSES. 

The returns of the varieties of forage plants for wintering rarely give 
botanical names, and many fiiil to give the common names. The diflft- 
culty with popular names is the confusion caused by synonyms. This is 
especially troublesome with such names as crop-grass, crab-grass, wire- 
grass, and sedge, which in some cases are so identified by description or 
scientific name as to show that several difiereut plants are retiu^ned by 
the same name. 

The most abundant are, in abandoned fields. Broom-sedge, Andropo- 
gon Yirginicus ; in the tide- water lands, the country of the Pim(s An- 
stndis, or long-leafed pine, Wire-grass ; in the cultivated fields. Crab-grass 
{Uleusine Indica), Crowfoot {Bactyiovteniiim Egi/j^tianum), and LeptochJoa 
mucronata. 

In Texas the Mesquite prevails (the bearded, curly, and running vari- 
eties), and the Game-grass, Tripsacum dacti/loides. 

The Japan clover, Lespedeza striata, is encroaching upon the old-field 
domain of the Broom-sedge with great rapidity. It is reported from 
North Carolina to Mississippi, but not from beyond the Mississippi, the 
most western locality, as reported, being the southwest corner of Mis- 
sissippi. It is generally deemed a cause of congratulation that it has 



36 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 



limited the range of the Broom-sedge. The Bermuda grass is also 
spreading very rapidly, much to the regret of cotton-planters, because 
so persistent in its staying qualities, yet to the positive delight of others 
more interested in stock-growing than in cotton. 

The cultivated forage-plants. Bed Clover {Trifolium iwatejise)^ Lucerne 
{Medicago sntira), Orchard-grass {Bactylns glomerata), Timothy {Fhleum 
2)rafense), Bed-top {Agrosfis vulgaris), and many others, are successfully 
experimented with, rather than generally grown, as the South has given 
little attention to hay production. The entire amount of hay reported 
in sixteen States in the census of 18G0 was 1,872,827 tons; in 1870, 
1,783,922 tons. The State of is'ew York in 1870 returned 5,614,205 tons, 
more than three times as much as these sixteen States.* There is at 



*States. 



Delaware 

Maryland 

Virginia 

AVest Virginia. 
North Carolina 
South Carolina 

Gt'or^ia 

Florida 

Alabama 



Tons. 

41, J- 90 

223, 119 

199, 883 

224, 164 

83, 540 

10, 665 

10, 518 

17 

10, 613 



Tons. 
36, 973 
191,744 
445, 133 



181, 365 
87, 587 
46, 448 
11, 478 
62, 211 



states. 



Mississippi. 
Louisiana . . , 

Texas 

Arkansas . . 
Tennessee. . 
Kentiieky . . 
Missouri' . . . 



Total. 



1870. 



1, 783, 922 



Tons. 


Tons. 


8,324 


32, 901 


8,776 


52, 721 


18, 982 


11, 865 


6,839 


9,356 


116, 582 


143, 499 


204, 399 


158, 476 


615, 611 


401, 070 



present an apparent tendency to a more general cultivation of these 
plants for hay-making. There is no difficulty in growing red clover in 
the more tenacious soils, and lucerne does well in the better class of 
more friable soils. Orchard-grass is in high repute, and is already well 
established in niaiij^ dairy-farms of the slopes and plateaus of the mount- 
ain system, which has never had its proper agricultural prominence under 
the cotton regime. 

Sedge is mentioned in returns from 197 counties. The mention of other 
plants is numerically in the following order : Crab-grass, blue-grass, wire- 
grass, Bermuda grass, prairie-grass*, white clover, niesquite, Nimble 
Will, red-top, Japan clover. Were all the principal grasses of all coun- 
ties fully reported, it is quite probable that some change in this order 
might be produced. 

Partial lists of the plants occupying the wild pasturage reported are 
herewith given in the order of their numerical prominence in county re- 
turns, by common local names : 

Maryland. — Blue, sedge, white clover, crab, red-top, poverty, fox- 
tail, June, salt marsh. 

Virginia. — Blue, crab, white clover, sedge, wire, red-to]i, broom-straw, 
greensward, swamp, herds, fox-tail, June, sheep-clover, pea-vine, hen's 
nest, Imllrush, flag, sheep-sorrel, water, poverty, cross-weed, woolly- 
headed clover, marsh, plantain, hog-weed, chickweed, lawn, evergreen, 
ox-grass, aromatic shrubs, rib-wort. 

West Virginia. — Blue, white clover, red-top, timothy, pea- vine, fox- 
tail, wire, swamp, rich weed. 

North Carolina. — Sedge, crab, wire, herds, blue, white clover, Ber- 
muda, greensward, Japan clover, bull, pea- vine, fox-tail, crow-foot, wild 
onion, willow, brown, sheep-clover, water, crooked, old-field, burr, Egyp- 
tian clover, Avild rye, winter, orchard, evergreen, mountain fern, rich 
weed, beggar lice. 



■ Indefinite, but in most returns probably the blue-stem or other Andropogon. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 37 

South Carolina. — Crab, sedge, wire, Bermuda, Japan clover, crow- 
foot, brown sedge, wild clover, nut, mountain, sedge, yellow clover, wild 
rye, water, deer, silver. 

" Georgia. — Sedge, Bermuda, crab, crow's-foot, Japan clover, swamj), 
wild oats, broom, wild goose, universal, cane, goi)her, water, nimble will, 
gama, meadow, blue, pea-vine, colt's-foot, wild clover, herds, mountain. 

Florida. — Wire, wild oats, sedge, crab, smut, water, pond, swamp, 
palmetto, broom-sedge, negro head, i)rairie. 

Alabama. — Sedge, crab, wild clover, Bermuda, mountain, winter, 
nimble will, reed woods, marsh, wild oats, herds, hedge, piney woods, 
beggar lice, swamp, glade, broom-sedge, crow-foot, Johnson's (Bermuda), 
barren, ox millet. 

Mississippi. — Sedge, crab, Bermuda, wire, nimble will, white clover, 
pine woods, water, broom-sedge, Lespedeza striata,* fox-tail, crow-foot, 
wild oats, wild pea, yellow clover, swamp, switch, cane, winter, sheep- 
sorrel, bent, drop-seed, barren, bull. 

Louisiana. — Crab, white and red clover, Bermuda, sedge, swamp, 
goose, broom -sedge, woods, nimble will, crow-foot, May, rye, sweet- 
scented vernal, summer. 

Texas. — Mesquite (bearded, curly, and running), sedge, prairie, Ber- 
muda, carpet, salt, crow-foot, wire, bnncih, evergreen, buffalo, turf, ver- 
ene, Yazoo, gama, blue, nimble will, calamus, wild clover, broom-sedge. 

Arkansas. — Sedge, prairie, crab, nimble will, wire, barren, pea- vine, 
fox-tail, crow-foot, wild rye, white clover, feather, winter, bunch, swamp, 
woods. 

Tennessee. — Sedge, nimble will, crab, blue, swamp, white clover, 
mountain, barren, wire, beggar lice, winter fern, fox-tail, pea- vine, sor- 
rel, switch, bull, bear, herds, buffalo, orchard, velvet, spear. 

Kentucky. — Sedge, blue, crab, red-top, i)ea-vine, barren, nimble will, 
fox-tail, white clover, broom-sedge, white-top. 

Missouri. — Prairie, blue, sedge, nimble will, wire, buffalo, barren, 
June, blue-stem, rush, joint, red-top, bunch, fox-tail, white clover, gama, 
seed-tick, dog-hair. 

Some correspondents give botanical names. The following is an ex- 
tract from the return of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, sent by Mr. D. 
L. Phares, of Woodville : 

Fox-t.ail (Alopecurus geniculatus), some species of bent grass {A<irostis), drop-seed 
grass (Muhlenberf/ia), wire-grass (Aristkla), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactyJon), crow- 
foot {Dactylocteiiium EyyptUiciim, Eleusine Indica, Lcptochloa mitcronata), the last three 
very cominou in cultivated tields. Caue or reed {Arandinuria (jhjanten.) and A. tectaave 
both very abuiidaut in a large portion of the county ; some of tlie inferior Poas, sev- 
eral Panicums and Letarias; gama grass {Tiipsaciim dactyloides) is not abundant. 
Several Andropogous or broom-grasses are very abundant ; some inferior Sorghums are 
found sparingly. A species called smut-grass is comauou and valuable ; I am not sure 
as to botanical name, perhaps Manictirus gramdaris. In some localities white clover 
(Trifoliiim repens) and other inferior species al)ound. Japan clover {Lespedeza striata) 
is becoming common in some places ; also some inferior Lespedezas are common, and 
■ some valuable and inferipr Desmodinms. 

Mr. J. M. Sherman, Elizabeth City County, Virginia : 

Some lifty varieties of Avild grasses and forage plants have been collected and 
classified in this county, of which the most common and useful for pastui'age are the 
following: Early pasture grass (Poa annua), sweet vernal ^yrtisii {A ntJioxan thrum odor- 
atum), chesH (Bronius secalinus), wild oats {Avena prwoox), wild rye (Elynins rinjinicus), 
broom-grass (Bromus ciliatus), timothy {Trifollum repens), red top (Ayrostis rnlyaris), 
crab-grass (Pasjmhim undulafiim), pereiuiial bent grass {Ayrostls scabra), spike-grass 

* Japan clover reported in Choctaw, Lee, Newton, Smith, Clark, and Wilkinson 
Counties. 



38 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

(Trkopyrmn spicafum), broom grass, {Andropogon scoparins), pasture-grass (AgrosUs 
purshii), baru-yard grass {OpUsmenus panicum crus galU), wire-grass ( Tri^/cHj/t repens), 
dog-grass {Trlticum caninHm),h\\\e grass {Poa compressa), marsb-grass(<S^>ariiH«jM?icert), 
Bermuda grass (Cynodoti davti/Ion). 

Bermuda grass is deemed one of the best grasses of the South. An 
analysis by Dr St. Julian Eavenel, of Charleston, S. C, makes it nearly 
equal in value to timothy {Phleum pretense). It has been denounced a 
pest by cotton-planters, as it is from their point of view; yet it would 
seem to be a special interposition of nature, seizing upon cotton -culture 
farms needing recuperation, taking forcible and complete possession of 
them, and forcing the owner either to raise live stock or abandon the 
soil. Many a dilapidated estate, now being overrun by this grass, may 
with the aid of sheep be restored to higher fertility and greater net 
profit to the owner than ever. Tliere are thousands of acres well set in 
Bermuda grass in the middle counties of Georgia, and it is extending its 
area in all the Gulf States. The late Mr. C. W. Howard, of Georgia, an 
eminent authority on southern grasses, and a long time correspondent 
of this department, once said it would live on land so poor as to be 
incapable of supporting valuable grasses; though its value is in proi)or- 
tion to the fertility of the soil. He held that if stock be kept away from 
it during the summer and autumn, although it might be inpped with 
frost, there would be sufficient grass underneath to feed stock during 
the winter. The following statement is from his article in the Eeport 
of Agriculture for 1867 : 

In Middle Georgia, Bermuda grass makes the best pasture. Probably no grass in 
the world gives an equal amount of grazing, winter and summer, as tlie Bermuda 
on good land. It is the dread of the cotton-jjlanter, however, from the rapidity with 
which it spreads and the difficulty of extirpating it, and there are entire plantations 
in Middle Georgia overrun with it. These have been abandoned by the cotton-planters, 
and can be bought as low as $1 per acre in some cases. Many of these plantations 
have comfortable dwellings and out-buildings upon them, are healthy and withiu 
easy reach of railroads. On land well manured or otherwise, rich Bermuda grass 
grows tall enough to mow, and makes an abundant and nutritious hay. 

Mr. B. D. Lumsden, of Bibb, Georgia, in an address before the State 
Agricultural Society, in which he declared it the best grass grown there 
for pasturage or hay, and one of the best renovators of the soil, reported 
the price ol' Bermuda hay at Macon at $18 to $20 per ton, and claimed 
to have cut upon an acre and a half, at two cuttings, 10,000 pounds of 
hay. A neighbor sold the yield of thirteen acres for $399. He refers 
to the product of one acre in Greene County, on the farm of Dr. Moody, 
amounting to 13,393 pounds, costing 9 cents per hundred- weight ; and 
to the product of eight tons per acre, with the aid of superphosphates, 
by Dr. Kavenel, of South Carolina. 

Bermuda grass is propagated by roots and not by seeds. The smallest 
fragment of root will grow with the slightest covering of earth. A single 
shoot will sometimes run 10 feet or more in a single season on rich lands, 
eacli joint putting out roots. An agricultural jourual of Alabama 
recommends the following mode of planting this grass : 

Break the land well and harrow up fine ; then cut your Bennuda sod into .small lots, 
say one inch square. Drop these bits over the ground, 3 or 4 feet apart, aiul roll down 
level with a heavy roller. If your sod is scarce, you may make your pieces much 
smaller than .an inch square ; every root with an eye in it will grow if put in the 
ground. In cases where ikj roller is at hand, the drojjper of the sod may make it all 
right by treading upon each Int as lie drops it. It is always best to start Bermuda in 
land not too poor; if in good condition, the grass will keep it so, and it spreads and 
covers the ground much more ra]>idly. If you cannot ])low your pasture-laud, you 
may still seed it to Bernuula by simi>iy digging small holes (a blow with a grub-hoe 
will answer) and dropping the seed into them. It will spread over laud that has 
never been cultivated, though of course with less rapidity. Bermuda grass cannot 
stand any great aiuount of shading, hence the pasture should be kept pretty clear of 
trees. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 39 

Dr. Janes, commissioner of agricnlture for Georgia, claims that where 
Bermuda g'rass is properly api)reciatecl by farmers, and the thin and 
rolling portions of their farms are covered with it "Georgia will sustain 
a sheep for every acre of territory; and 37,000,000 of sheep will be 
worth to the owners in the aggregate $37,000,000 net per annum, or 
nearly double the present gross value of the cotton crop of the State." 
He says : 

The most valuable and relialjle grass, and one which is destined to aid largely in 
revolutionizing the system of agriculture in the cotton belt of Georgia, as well as to 
renovate the worn hills, is the Bermuda, perhaps the most valuable pasture-grass 
in the world, surpassing in nutritive properties and compactness of sod the famous 
Blue grass of Kentucky, having, according to the analysis of Doctor Ravenel, 14 per 
cent, of the albuminoids. A Bermuda-grass sod properly managed will att'ord an ex- 
cellent pasture for cattle for nine months, and for sheep an entire year. There will be 
but little demand for dry forage in Middle and Lower Georgia, such is the mildness of 
the climate and the character of the spontaneous growth. But there is no difficulty 
in supplying excellent dry forage in any desired quantity and at a very small cost. 

Tlie well-known authority, Mr. Thomas Affleck, of Texas, after expe- 
rience in importing over forty kinds of foreign grasses, ten or more from 
the far West, and test of the qualities of Texas grasses, found nothing 
to compare, for hay or pasture, with the Bermuda grass. " Of its value 
for growing," he says, " I must state further that it far exceeds that of any 
other grass within my knowledge, in abundant yield, in sweetness, and in 
nutritive qualities. On the common around this A'illage there are cattle, 
horses, sheep, mules, hogs, goats, and geese innumerable, all the year 
round, from the first evidence of renewed vegetation in the spring, and 
yet tliey are not all al)le to keep down this grass which covers the com- 
mon ; and during the summer, when it flourishes, much of the stock is 
in fair order." 

The editor of the Southern Cultivator, Mr, W. L. Jones, thus alludes 
to this j)lant for summer pasture : 

For strictly summer grazing, no grass compares with the Bermuda. It combines 
every quality that can he desired; will grow in any kind and quality of land, poorer 
rich (better of course ou rich) ; is never killed out by drought or by close grazing ; 
bears the hoof without injury, and does not impoverish the soil ; on the contrary, 
land set in it will steadily become more fertile. It is highly nutritious and much rel- 
ished by stock of all kinds. It furnishes pasture from May till November, and when 
on rich land and not close-grazed in summer and autumn, will furnish fair grazing 
through the early winter, the lower portions of the dense growth being protected from 
frost by tlie upper; and even the dead grass is eaten to some extent by cows, and Is 
probably as nutritions as wheat straw. We said it was never killed by drought. It is 
of course checked in growth by long dry sjielLs, but is ever ready to ])usli again as soou as 
rain falls. Once set, it is perpetual ; no reseeding ; noreplantiug ; no crowding out with 
other growth. We have often seen the ground well covered with it in localities where 
the land has been " thrown out" for fifteen to twenty years, and is grown up in pines 
6 to 8 inches in diameter. But for being a pest in cultivated fields, Bermuda grass 
would be beyond value. 

Guinea grass [Sorghum halapense). It is claimed that this plant was 
brought from the West Indies to South Carolina. It is propagated by 
roots. It is sometimes grown on good land to the height of 8 to 10 feet. 
It grows very rapidly, and is cut three or four times in the season. It 
is relished by the stock when green, and some make hay of it, by exer- 
cising care to cut it in a green state. In the Agricultural Keport for 
1849, Mr. M. D. Smith writes from Washington, Arkansas: 

To obtain a grass suited to our Avants has long been a desidei-atum, and I believe, 
from an experience of seven years, that it has at last been discovered. This is the 
Guinea yrms. It is a native of Africa, and was first imported into the island of Ja- 
maica by the governor, as a bird-seed. It was there propagated and became a very 
impartant article of provender, and pasture for every kind of stock, considered sec- 
ond in value only to sugar-cane. It was introduced two years ago into Louisiana, 
where it was highly valued for soiling and for hay. Ou rich, dry ground it grows to 
the height of 8 feet, and may be cut 4 feet high four times in a season, yielding two 
tons per acre at each cutting. I consider it equal to the best cured corn-blades of 



40 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

equal weiglit. It is best propagated by the roots, wMcli resemble tbose of the cala- 
mus, each joiut seucliug up a tuft of blades. The roots extend deep aud wide, occupy- 
iug all the ground as deep as the soil is loosened, aud are equal to artichokes as food 
for hogs. 

In 1873, the department procured from Jamaica about five bushels of 
tbe seed of tliis grass, which was distributed in the si)ring of 1874. It 
grows tall and rank, attaining the height of 8 or 10 feet, and when ma- 
ture yields a coarse seed resembling millet. It grows throughout the 
island, from the sea to the summit of the mountain, and is the most 
abundant where the rainfall is heaviest. It is grown in bunches, like 
our buft'alo-grass, and is propagated either by sets or by the seed. It 
spreads rapidly, and will soon cover thickly the surface of a field in 
which it is set. All kinds of domestic animals live and thrive upon it. 

A correspondent of the Southern Cultivator, in 1873, referred to its 
former reputation as a pest of the cotton-fields and to a trial of it by 
livery stables of the vicinity, where it proved to be quite as satisfactory 
as any hay to be obtained. " One stable-keeper agreed to take all brought 
in, if it were 500 bales, asserting that it was not only the very best hay, 
but acted finely upon the bowels, keeping them in a much healthier 
condition than the ordinary hay. It sold readily at $30 per ton." It 
makes there a fine pasture by the middle of April, and on good lands a 
ton x)er acre can be cut by. the middle of May, and about the same quan- 
tity at each monthly cutting through the season. "Though the grass 
dies down in winter, cattle and sheep do finely upon it; far down under 
the debris of the summer growth it remains sweet and tender all winter, 
and you often find a cow buried to her shoulders hunting it." The edi- 
tor thus refers to his own experience Avith the Sorghum halapense: 

It is certainly a post in the same sense as Bermuda grass, possessing, like the latter, 
underground stems by which it is rapidly scattered if the laud is plowed, and from 
which stems spring up above groxiud very rapidly when the previous growth is cut 
down. It comes nj) early in the season, aud if cut down contiuues to shoot up during 
the sunnner with great rapidity. A few years ago we thought it valueless for stock- 
feed, our horses seeming not to relish it, but we have since discovered that if cut he/ore 
the stems are f nil y formed, or rather just as the latter begin to shoot up, stock relish it 
very much, and, judging from the condition of those fed upon it, this grass must be 
((uite as nutritious as other grasses. For sunnner soiling we therefore recommend it ; 
for grazing purposes we have no experiejice. 

Our correspondent in Hillsborough County, Florida, Mr. W. F. White, 
after referring to the unsatisfactory character of native winter grasses, 
says : " We are i)lanting guinea-grass and expect to make good pastures, 
after which they will be as good in winter as in summea-." 

A correspondent writing from Greensborough, Alabama, says "that it 
is largely grown in that section, and is best liked by those who have 
had the most experience with it." 

Bush clover {Lespedeza striata) has come into notice within a few 
years. It is spreading naturally, encroaching upon the broom-sedge of 
the abandoned fields, and occupying the fence corners ; and one corre- 
spondent in Georgia says it is successfully contestiug the field with Ber- 
muda grass. Yet it is not hard to destroy. It is relished by all kinds 
of stock, and its hay is eaten readily. It grows in the shade and upon 
the thinnest soils. "B. D. Lamsdon, of Eatonton, Georgia, is of the opin- 
ion that " where the Lespedeza striata shall cover worn-out lands and 
pine thickets and rooted out our broom-sedge, which it is fast doing, and 
legislative action shall be taken in regard to the sheep's worst enemy, 
dogs, Middle Georgia will become a wool- growing section." He has been 
saving this Lespedeza hay for several years, ancl finds no hay more rel- 
ished by stock, none commanding a more ready sale, and that it is 
sought after specially by keepers of milch cows, as it produces a rich 
milk aud butter that " looks as if the cows had been running upon a 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 41 

barley lot." He says lie has cured this hay at a cost of 10 cents per hun- 
dred-weight, and sold it at $1 and $1.10. He thinks land that will make 
IS bushels of corn per acre will yield 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of hay, and 
that everj" hundred- weight will command the price of a bushel of corn, 
Mobile costing" much less. It is reported from different sections of each 
of the States from North Carolina to the Mississippi, and it appears to 
be everywhere enlarging its area. 

Mesquite-grass {Stijia spartea), the bearded mesquite of Texas, is a 
wonderfully productive and nutritious plant. It flourishes on level 
plains of black prairie soil, on river bottoms, and invades the hard-trod- 
den cow lots, where no other grass can flourish. It grows from 2 to 3 
feet higli, and matures in June. It is a valuable winter grass, resem- 
bling the famous blue-grass in that season. Mr. Afdeck has said of it : 
"It is greedily devoured by the graminivorous animals generally in the 
winter season, but toward the 1st of March, or as soon as the spring sap 
rises in it, if there is any other grass to be had, they will not eat the 
mesciuite, and it is suffered to mature its large crojDS of seed unmolested 
every year, which accounts for its rapid increase and migratory habits." 
Forty years ago it was stated that it would not be found east of the 
Colorado ; now oiu" corresi)ondents report it nearly up to the Trinity, and 
it is possibly found east of that river. 

Col. E. S. Graham, of Young County, Texas, reports : 

Stock-raisers from Northwestern and Eastern States regard one ton of mesquite grass 
as equal to five of their common coarse grasses, and it is esteemed nnich more nutritious 
than Kentucky blue-grass. When comi)letely browned and dried by drought, which 
usually occurs from the 15th of July to the 1st of September, the blades become green 
again from branches to tips in a few days after a heavy rain. 

Three-foiirths of the county reports from Texas include the mesquite 
in their list of grasses, and most of them give it the first place. 

Mr. James A. Lewis, of Kanawdia, West Virginia, once procured seed 
of the mesquite from Texas, and claimed that it did well in that climate, 
comparing favorably for pasture with Kentucky blue-grass, orchard- 
grass, clover, &c. As the term "mesquite " is popularly applied to several 
different grasses, it is not altogether certain that this was the bearded 
mesquite. 

Guma-grass {Tripsacum dactyl o ides). This is very common in Texas, 
in black i)rairie and bottom lands. Mr. G. Lincocum, a correspondent, 
has said of it: 

It grows very strong in Texas. If one did not grub it up every year it would over- 
run our black jirairie farms in a few seasons. It produces good cow-fodder. Horses 
do not like it unless mowed while quite young. A meadow properly set with this 
grass will not require renewing in a century. I have a meadow of 35 acres on black 
prairie soil, which consists principally of two grasses, being densely jammed on the 
ground. The gama-grass is not near so tough if mowed in June or September, at 
which season it is nice and tender, producing a quality of hay to which horses do not 
object, but eat it freely and thrive well on it. It produces immense quantities — I mean 
the mixed meadow — and is so easily procured that we have given up fodder-}) ul ling 
altogether. Our horses eat it freely winter and summer. 

Nimble Will {Muhlenherf/ia diffusa) is distributed throughoutthe South, 
and is favorably mentioned as a pasture-grass. Cattle and sheep eat it 
readilj'. 

Water-grass [Glyceria aquafica f) is found growing in moist places in 
plowed fields, where it attains a height of 5 or 6 feet. The seed-stem is 
often a foot in length, heavy with rich seeds which stock devour with 
avidity. Three heavy crops of hay can be made from it, if cut in season, 
a ton or two per acre at a cutting. Some claim that horses prefer it to 
crab-grass or timothy. 

Barnyard-grass {Panicmn crusgalli). This grass, which has so poor a 
reputation in the North, is frequently mentioned in the South as a for- 



42 



SHEEP- HUSBANDRY. 



age-plant of commendable valne. It is also deemed valuable and util- 
ized for hay in some j^ortions of the West. 

Broom-sedge {Andropogon VirginicMs). The most frequently mentioned 
plant in these returns is the " sedge." The A. Virginicus is doubtless gen- 
erally meant ; some speak of several varieties. It occupies millions of acres 
of old fields, which are taken possession of by it as soon as abandoned 
by the cultivator for fresh lands, according to the prevalent custom of the 
agriculture of this section. It is not a true sedge, but a grass of the 
family so abundant in the Missouri Valley region. As botanical names 
are rarely given, it is impossible to know whether a Carex or Andropogon 
is meant. In Barbour County, Alabama, Carex cyperoidea is reported, 
and G. umbellafa in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It is sometimes 
known as Virginia beard-grass, and is a perennial of a i)urplish-brown 
color in flowering time, with stiff, branching stems 2 or 3 feet high in 
good land, surmounted by flower-spikes, which, according to Professor 
Thurber, are " sometimes nearly concealed beneath sheaths, and often 
upon slender stems, are about an inch long, in pairs, and so clothed with 
very soft, dull-white hairs as to conceal the flowers." It is a common 
custom, when depended upon for spring forage, to burn the dead straw 
in winter ; and, as it starts early, it makes abundant and early pasture. 
Many of our correspondents speak favorably of its utility for spring- 
feeding. 

Mr. Thomas Affleck, of Texas, once reported to this department as to 
winter grasses : 

The Foa annua here at times is almost rank in iLs growth, reaching a height of from 
4 to 8 inches. Chickweed (Stellaria media), of whicli cows are very fond, as also 
sheep, covering the hill lands where rich with qnite a heavy growth. Phalaris Amer- 
icana, a beautiful Southern grass, depicted in Celleste's work. Hordeum puseUum, of 
Nutt, a dwarf barley, or, as here called, "Texas rye," forming sweet grazing before 
the blossom drops. Alopecurus geniculatus, floating fox-tail of the English, almost as 
valuable as winter grass. Trichodinm laxiflorum, hair-grass, also springs up. These are 
nearly all annual winter and early sprnKj grnsses. In the fence corners may be found 
a good bite of nimble will, and on poor spots of fox-tail. Within the last few years a 
creejjing grass, somewhat in its habits like the Bermuda, has spread to a considerable 
extent over the open pastures. It is known by some as " Cuba grass," and is a pas- 
palum or diyitaria, 1 know not which ; the sheep find sweet picking from it. On the 
seacoast, about Pass Christian and Pascagoula, I find a close good sod of another grass, 
of similar habit to the last named, of which I have not been able to determine the 
name ; it makes a very pretty pasture, and grows well even in partial shade. 

For the purj)ose of comijarison, and to aid in the selection of grass 
found by experiment to be suitable to local soils and condition of cul- 
ture, the following standard analyses, which are those of Professor Way, 
are given : 



Grass. 



Sweet-scented vernal 

Meadow fox- tail 

Tall rat-!irass 

Crested dog's-tail 

Orchard-grass 

Orchard-grass (seed ripe) 

Barley-grass 

Perennial rye-grass 

Italian rye-grass 

Timothy-grass 

Annual sjiear-grass 



80.35 
80.20 
72.65 
62. 73 
70.00 
52.57 
58. 85 
71.43 
75. 61 
57.21 
79.14 



o S 






2.05 
2.44 
3.54 
4.13 
4.06 
10.93 
4.59 
3.37 
2.45 
4.86 
2.47 



.67 

.52 
.87 

1.32 
.94 
.74 
.94 
.91 
.80 

1.50 
.71 



.a a 

•S 2 






8.54 
8.59 
11. 21 
19.64 
13.30 
12.61 
20.05 
12.08 
14.11 
22. 85 
10.79 



1.24 
1.55 
2.36 
2.38 
1.59 
2.61 
2.54 
2.15 
2.21 
2.26 
.59 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 



43 



These plants, cut at the proper time and ak-dried, are analyzed with 
results as follows : 



Hay. 



Meadow hay. merlmiu quality 

Red clover full blossom 

Eed clover, ripe 

White clover, full blossom 

Lucerne, young 

Yellow clover in blossom {Medicago lupulina) 

Vetclies in blossom 

Pease in blossom 

Italian rye-Kxass (Solium Italicum) 

Timothy (Phleum pratense) 

Early nieadow-ocrass (Poa Armua) 

Crested dog's-tail {Oynosurus cristatus) 

Orchard-grass (Dactijlis glomerata) 

Barley-grass (Hordenm pratense) 

Meadow fox-tail (Alopeciinis pratmisis) 

Oat-grass, French rj'e-grass (Arrhenatherum avena- 

ceum) 

Sweet-scented vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odera- 

turn) 

Spear-grass, Kentucky blue-grass (Poa pratensis) . . . 



Average of all the grasses 14. 3 



14.3 
16.7 
16.7 
16.7 
16.7 
16.7 
16.7 
16.7 
14.3 
14.3 
14.3 
14.3 
14.3 
14.3 
14.3 

14.3 

14.3 
14.3 



79.5 
77.1 

77.7 
74.8 
74.6 
77.3 
75.0 
76.3 
77.9 
81.2 
83.3 
80.2 
81.1 
80.4 
79.0 

75.8 

80.3 
80.6 



6.2 
6.2 

5.6 
8.5 
8.7 
6.0 
8.3 
7.0 
7.8 
4.5 
2.4 
5.5 
4.6 
5.3 
6.7 



5.4 
5.1 



8.2 
13.4 

9.4 
14.9 
19.7 
14.6 
14.2 
14.3 

8.7 

9.7 
10.1 

9.5 
11.6 

9.6 
10.6 

11.1 

8.9 
8.9 



S«8 



41.3 
29.9 
20.3 
34.3 
32.9 
36.5 
35.3 
36.8 
51.4 
48.8 
47.2 
48.0 
40.7 
42.0 
39.5 

35.3 

40.2 
39.1 



5. 8 ! 9. 5 41. 7 



30.0 
35.8 
48.0 
25.6 
22.0 
26.2 
25.5 
25.2 
16.9 
22. 7 
25^9 
22.6 
28.9 
27.2 
29.0 

29.4 

31.2 
32.6 



2.0 
3.2 
2.0 
3.5 
3.3 
3.3 
2.5 
2.6 
2.8 
3.0 
2.9 
2.8 
2.7 
2.0 
2.5 

2.7 

2.9 
2.3 



Experiments with the cultivated grasses, during a long period and in 
all the States, have demonstrated their practical success and high value 
in southern farm economy. 

Tall meadow oat-grass {Arrhenatherum avenaceum). — This grass, known 
and appreciated in this country and in Europe, has been introduced into 
Georgia under diiferent names. Its winter growth is scarcely excelled, 
unless by Italian rye-grass. It is said to do well under winter grazing. 
Mr. George H. Waring, of Habersham County, Georgia, from an experi- 
mental patch 10 feet by 90, obtained 210 pounds of dried hay, or at the 
rate of 5 tons per acre. It is not presumed to be equal in quantity to 
orchard grass by practical cultivators there. 

Orchard-grass {JDactylis f/lomerafa). — This grass, which is held in so 
high esteem in the best dairy districts of the country, is well suited to 
extreme districts of the South, and especially to tlie table lands and 
valleys of the mountain system. Mr. 0. W. JSoward has reported the 
conclusions, from his experience in Georgia, with regard to it: 

This grass succeeds at the South ou lands having a clay subsoil as low down as the 
oak and hickory rolling country extends. In the flat sandy lands it is said not to per- 
fect its seeds, and quickly dies but. It is of little use at the South as a hay grass, but 
possesses great value as a winter pasture. It grows best in the shade, which result its 
name would indicate. It should not be grazed during the summer. All stock should 
be taken from it in June and not allowed to return to it until Christmas. It is not 
among the most permanent of artificial gra,s.ses. Hence it is proper to sow it with red 
and white clover, when these are used in a rotation, for the improvement of the soil. 
Orchard grass is proper to be mixed with clover, when the latter is to be cut for hay, 
as both blossom at the same time. Herds grass and timothy are much later than reel 
clover, and therefore uusuited to be sown with it. 

It is beginning to be recommended in that region as a soiling crop, 
sown Avith red clover, sowing 20 pounds to 12 of the clover per acre. 
Dr. L. D. Morse recommends this grass for Missouri as " the most abid- 
ing of all grasses " ; it is sown to advantage with clover, grows quickly 
when cropped by cows and sheep, and makes good pasturage after a rest 
of live days from being fed close. It has been admitted in Kentucky 



44 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

that, wlien grazed down by stock, it will be ready for grazing again in 
half the time required by bine-grass ; and some have claimed that in 
summer it will grow more in a day than blue grass-grows in a week. A 
correspondent in Cobb County, Georgia, deems it the best cultivable 
grass for that part of the State (northwestern), which is of granite, claim- 
ing that it endures equally well hot and cold weather, wet and dry. 

Lucerne (Alfalfa of California), Medieago sativa. — This is a most val- 
uable forage plant for Southern culture. It is not very generally intro- 
duced except in an exi^erimental way, and will not be until more atten- 
tion is given to stock-growing. Mr. C. W. Howard declared that it 
grew as well in Georgia as in France, and deemed it the most valuable 
of all the forage plants for that region. He held that no forage-crop 
tested in Georgia could equal it in quantity, and none in the Xorth could 
produce as much hay as lucerne in the South. His practice was to sow 
either in autumn or in February, harrowing in and rolling the surface, 
using about two i^ounds of seed to the acre. 

If the future of sheep-husbandry in this latitude shall be character- 
ized by skill and enterprise, combined with economy of management 
and wise forecast in avoiding risks of unequal and insufficient natural 
pasturage, lucerne will fill a prominent place in the necessary i)rovision 
for regular and abundant feed, increasing many fold the possibilities of 
the business, enlarging immensely the numbers that can be supported 
on a given area. Bermuda and other grasses especially suited to high 
temperatures and capable of resisting droughts may share the attention 
of wool- growers ; yet there must be large tracts in the Gulf States, and 
on the line of the Texas Pacific road through to the ocean, in which this 
forage plant may fill a place of high utility in the economy of wool- 
growing. 

It is a deep and rich soil, into which the roots can readily penetrate. 
An Irish-potato patch, or a field of wheat stubble with a soft and friable 
soil, is frequently selected by careful cultivators. The richer it is made 
with manure the better (if the soil is not of the "inexhaustible" kind 
that is presumed never to need manure) ; it is plowed thoroughly, and 
if seeds of weeds abound, again and again, to turn under successive 
crops of troublesome plants. Those who covet the highest success thus 
obtain a deep and clean seed-bed, and sow in August 10 pounds of seed, 
and if the young plants are attacked by grasshoppers, a dressing of 
ashes or guano is given. It should neither be cut nor grazed until the 
next season, when three to five cuttings should be made. 

PROFIT OF SOUTHERN SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 

The profits of wool-growing in the Atlantic States, Delaware, Mary- 
land, and Virginia, are derived largely from production of lambs for 
the neighboring markets of Washington and Baltimore, not to mention 
Philadelphia and ISTew York, which are also quite accessible. The 
thrifty and euteriirising farmer who keeps few sheep prefers the qiiick 
returns coming from lambs sold at four months old for higher prices 
than full-grown Merino grades. 

The unenterprising tanner, who will not provide the requisite care 
and feed, had much better stick to wool-growing alone, for the nuitton 
will be worthless. The broad acres of mountain ranges are also better 
suited to the exclusive production of wool. It is the testimony of many 
that half-breed Southdowns or Cotswold lambs, well cared for, will pay 
all expenses of the fiock with meat, leaving the wool for profit. Tliis 
section is peculiarly suitable for lamb-raising, not alone on account of 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 45 

proximity to great cities, but from the cheapness of fertile lands and 
liealtlifulness of the climate. The Piedmont region, tlie Bine Eidge, 
and the valley of Virginia are remarkably well adapted to the pro- 
duction of the^ cnltivated forage plants necessary for winter feeding, and 
the blue-grass and white-clover pasturage in summer is abundant and 
enduring. 

It has not yet become an important industry. Much fine pasturage 
in the mountain is as yet unutilized. The largest numbers of sheep are 
at present to be found in Culpeper and Fauquier, in the Blue Eidge 
region, and on the limestone soils of Southern Virginia, especially Scott, 
Eussell, Washington, and Grayson. 

Mr, John Carmichael, of Loudoun County, reports the value of spring 
lambs sent to Washington at $^.50 to $5, according to quality ; that 
western ewes, bought in the autumn for breeding, cost $2.75; their 
lambs average $2.30, and their wool $1 more. The ewes are fattened 
and sold in the fall for $4 to $5. This makes the gross returns of the 
year about $8, or $5.20 above the cost of the ewe for feed and i)rofits. 

Mr. Thomas F. Eives reports for Dinwiddle County: 

Captain Shelton has a tine flock of grade Sonthdowns. He sows rye and Avinter 
oats, thus supplyiuj!; good winter pastnre. His lambs are dropped in the early part of 
January and some in December. He generally has a lot of fat lambs in market by 
the middle of April, and always ccmmiands a good price for them, from |5 to $6 per 
head. Mr. Burgess is breeding up a tine flock of Cotswolds. He has provided good 
shelter for his flock, and his sheep are well cared for in all respects. Both of the 
gentlemen say that it pays them well. 

Some of the difficulties in the way of extensive sheep-husbandry are 
given by Mr. William F. Jackson, of Amelia County, Virginia : 

The large laud-owuer will tell you it pays 100 per cent, and beats farming to death, 
but says: "I have no fences; it would bauki-upt me to fence my lands, and if I did, 
in ten days the dogs would kill all my sheep. I cannot go into the speculation; it 
might ruin me at once." There is some force in this, but it seems to me the venture 
might be more profltable and less hazardous by employing a hei'dsmau without fences, 
except for inclosing them at night. 

Mr. E. Turnbull, of Brunswick, Virginia : 

Believing that there is mtmey in sheep, I have determined to go into the business on 
a farm of 2,400 acres, in this county, in which I am interested. I have now on the 
farm a flock of 46 (which is the larg-est flock in the county) in fine condition, and I ex- 
pect to increase the flock to 500 or 1,000. 

Examples of small flocks which have been a success are numerous. 
In yoi-thumbeiiand County, Virginia, according to a former return of 
our correspondent, a flock of 68 ewes, costing $3 each, produced 100 
lambs the first year, which brought $5 each in May, netting nearly $300 
al)ove original cost, with the original flock and the wool on hand. They 
were turned into a wheat stubble seeded with clover, and had no other 
food and little attention. 

Mr. William P. Austin, of Lunenburg, Va., reports a flock of 48 kept 
on a cost of $10 per annum for shearing and feed, exclusive of pasture- 
age and care, ^-ielding an average of $93 per annum. 

Mr. AViniani B. Chalkley, of Chesterfield, has a flock of 40 worth $100, 
and has sold 24 for $60, and 150 pounds of wool for $34.50. The cost of 
the original 18 was $42, and the cost of keeping two years is estimated at 
$30. The gain is equivalent to $122.50, paying well for care and invest- 
ment. 

Tlie following testimony to the profit of nuitton i)roduction and lamb- 
raising is from department records: 

Clark County, Virginia. — It is far more profitable to keep the dift'ereut varieties of 
the mutton breeds than the fine wool or Merino breed in this portion of Virginia. I 



46 SHEEP-HITSBANDRY. 

say this from my own experieuce and. that of many intelligent gentlemen witli whom 
I have conversed. The Cotswold sheep and its crosses with the Sonthdown are less 
liable to lose their lambs than the Merino. The lambs are more vigorons and hardy ; 
then add their early maturity, their fitness for market at eighteen months old, and 
their almost double value when in market, and you have advantages which ftir out- 
weigli the additional amount of food which the mutton sheep may consume in jjropor- 
tiou to his size. 1 have said nothing about the dilference in the value of the wool, 
because I believe there is very little difference; if there is any, it is in favor of the 
mutton breed in this county. In January, 1869, 1 agreed to take from a gentleman in 
this county 100 Spanish Merino ewes to keep on the shares ; he giving me one-lialf the 
lambs and one-half of the wool for keeping them until the fall of 1869. They were 
put in a field of 75 acres sod with 45 acres of woodland attached; the pasture was 
good, and they fattened upon it. At the same time 25 ewes of Cotswold and South- 
down were put in the field; the Merinos in the si)ring produced 56 lambs; the 25 Cots- 
wold and Sonthdown ewes raised 24 lambs. The feed was the same, and the same 
care was bestowed upon each flock, for they were together all the time. All the 
Merino lambs Avere sold in October, 1869, at |(2 per head except five, which had the 
foot-rot so badly they could not be driven to market; the Cotswold and Southdown 
would have brought double the money per head. These views apply to this county, 
which is only fifty miles from Washington, D. C, and about eighty -five miles from 
Baltimore. 

Prince George's Counti/, Maryland. — Sheep need no shelter here except what woods or 
open sheds or tobacco houses afford. Seldom any grain is given them. My fiock is 
small but choice. They have had this winter no grain, no hay, and no shelter, and 
are fat and healthy, with well-grown fat lambs of different ages, from ten days to two 
Aveeks old. They have run all the time on an old clover and timothy pasture, grazed 
close last autumn, except when the ground was frozen or covered with snow, when 
they had access to the rye field where the fodder shocks stand. Most of them are 
Southdowns, a few are a Cotswold cross. They will shear an average of over six 
pounds of wool, and have lambs living now in the proportion of six lambs to eight 
ewes, although some have been killed by dogs. 

In the more Southern States wool-growing commands more attention 
than mutton production, and flne-wooled sheep are preferred. This must 
continue to be the case, except that an abundant supply of better qual- 
ity of mutton is required for town consumption, and the demand would 
soon be doubled by such improvement in quality. Owners of small flocks 
will report a profit of 50 to 100 per cent. Still flocks increase slowly, 
and few give the business any attention. Some will say that wool costs 
nothing except the shearing, because sheep are allowed to run from one 
shearing to another without care. Such examples aflbrd no criterion to 
judge of the actual profits of the business on a large scale. It will not 
do to say that grass costs nothing because it is wasted. The land that 
produces it costs money, and pays taxes, even if without fencing or the 
supervision of the proprietor. With such utter neglect of the business, 
there are no recorded data on which to base an accurate calculation of 
profits. It is much like the hoitse wife's estimate of gains from her poultry- 
yard, which she confidently assumes to be all profit. She rarely extends 
her operations, however, beyond the requirements of a moderate store 
of i)in money. Thus, while one reports a doubling of capital yearly, 
another estimates a gain of 50 per cent., and a third no profit. One of 
the latter, our correspondent in Wilkes County, Mr. L. Harrill, declares 
that there is no profit in sheep ; that the fewtliere are small, degenerate 
animals, unprovided with clover or cultivated grasses, allowed to roam 
at large, the lambs left to live or die, and to the tender mercies of dogs 
if they live. And yet he thinks that with ])roper attention wool might 
be produced at a cost of 10 cents per pound instead of 20. Allowing for 
a little looseness of calculation, for a little enthusiasm on one side and 
disgust on the other, all these widely varying statements may be founded 
on fact, and yet it scarcely touches the real question of profit of sheep- 
husbandry as a business of such nuignitude as to command the attention 
of an enterprising man. And yet these exami)les are instructive. If a 
flock, even a small one, can maintain itself summer and winter in aban- 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 47 

doned fields and forests outside of farm inspection and observation, and 
ravenous dogs, liungry negroes, as well as equally hungry white men, 
aiul raise lambs enough to make good inevitable losses, giving the owner 
their fleeces each spring for the shearing, it is evidence that, witli a busi- 
ness-like management, a larger flock might be expected to yield a hand- 
some dividend. 

A few extracts from correspondents will illustrate more fully the 
status of the business. Mr. Thomas W. Beatty, of Horry County, South 
Carolina, says: 

A practical man assures me that three years ago he bought a flock of 30 head of 
sheep; that since that time they have yiekled him an annual profit, in increase, 
wool and mutton, of 50 per cent. He has given them but little attention, except to 
put them in his field during winter, to protecst the lambs from getting into low, flat 
woods during rainy seasons, and giving the old sheep a little forage at night, to make 
them seek the lot for protection against the depredation of the wildcat, which ani- 
mal is A'ery destructive of young lambs in the woods and near swamps. Most persons 
in this county give their sheep no attention except to drive them up in the latter 
part of May, clip the avooI from the old ones, mark and castrate the lambs, turn them 
out for another twelve months (unless to drive them up in June and July to kill a 
mutton or two), and yet, with this treatment, a flock of 20 to 40 head will actually 
increase in numbers, unless dogs get among them, or they range so lar from any hab- 
itation that it makes good picking for thieves. I am satisfied that nothing would 
be more profitable in this county than sheep-husbandry with proper attention. 

A correspondent in Union County, South Carolina, reported an in- 
come of $58.40 (80 pounds of wool at 28 cents, 300 pounds of mutton at 
8 cents, and an increase of 6 sheep at $2), from a flock of 20 common 
sheep, costing $52, and $7 for salt and cotton-seed. 

E.. D. Winn, Gwinnett, Georgia : 

This climate and our natural pastui-age is well adapted to sheep-raising. In some 
parts of the county, where it is broken and sparsely settled, sheep require but little 
feeding, even during the winter months. These are only special localities and but 
few of them. I dissent from the commissioner of agriculture of Georgia in his esti- 
mate of the cost of raising wool in this State. His figures are too low for my county 
and too low for the State. A somewhat extensive acquaintance with the larger por- 
tion of the State authorizes the opinion I have given. 

Dr. J. T. Chappell, Laurens, Georgia, says : 

On i^aper it looks as though sheep-raising would be profita1)le, and doubtless it 
would be as a business jjfic se. But it cannot be carried on in connection with cotton- 
planting. As all who own land and stock are in the cotton business, I do not think 
any one will risk a change. The risk is great, and the greatest risk is in dogs. Some 
parties that lost heavily in sheep put out strychnine and killed the dogs. The dog 
men retaliated by driving 60 head of sheep into a stream and drowning them. Peojjle 
here are poor, ignorant, and selfish. All own dogs and but few feed them. A hungry 
dog will eat sheep, kids, pigs, chickens, eggs, &c. They are of no use, but are kept ou 
places wliere children sufi^er for bread. For seven years after the war I tried to raise 
sheep, kept them inclosed all the time. I used powder, lead, and strychnine, and 
after receiving much abuse for loss of dogs by neiglibors, I left off in disgust and lost 
all. While you can give a bright picture in figures on sheep-raising, do not fail to 
give the dark one on dogs. I see no prospect of a change. 

Mr. Eobert Hester, of Elbert: 

Pastures are very insecure, and sheep roam at large in the woods and old-field pas- 
tures without shepherds, and without the personal care of their owners even in winter. 
A small proportion of old fiirmers still keep up flocks and give some attention to them, 
but f(n- the most part the losses from neglect are heavy, and they are laid on thieves 
and dogs. The great trouble is that sheep-owners expect their sheep to take care of 
themselves and bring their fleeces home at shearing time entire and free from burs 
and filth. 

Mr. A. J. Cheves, Macon C6unty: 

Our county is not well adapted to sheep-husbandry. The wire-grass section is south 
and east of us. Nearly all of our open lands are cultivated every year. Our woods 
are pine, with a very thick undergrowth of oak bushes excluding^ the grasses almost 
entirely. 



48 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Mr. Timothy Fussell, Coffee : 

Stock-raisers are iuclosing large wood pastures, producing wild grasses. These 
woods are also of great service in saving lambs and keeping them from hogs, &c. 

Mr. C. H. Sutton, Habersham: 

Any of our uncultivated u])laud soils are capable of producing grass. Fine pasturage 
may be had by removing the undergrowth, leaving the larger trees for shade, and 
sowing in blue-grass, thus producing a fine range for sheep. 

Mr. A. Davenport, of Fannin: 

We have, as you will see, a vast territory of forest, all of which affords good sum- 
mer range for sheep. The common sedge, springing u]> spontaneously all over the 
county, is of early growth, tender and nutritious until other and later grasses come in. 
Sheep are exceedingly fond of the seed of "beggar lice," which also grows abundantly 
in this hill country. Upon this wild range, from a state of poverty in the spring they 
are fat enough for market in .July. They need shelter and tame pasture in winter; 
but I have known them to winter in the woods without any attention. They can be 
well wintered at small cost upon a pasture of early-sown rye, cost not exceeding 15 
cents per head, thus placing them in advance of any other stock raised in this county; 
but, strange to say, no man in all this county is engaged in this highly lucrative 
enterprise. 

Mr. C. J. Wellborn, Union County : 

Sheep-raising up to this time in this county has been regarded as a mere incident 
of farm life, and not looked to as a business. Most farmers have a small tlock which 
are sheared and turned out about the lirst of April, and receive no further attention 
until they are hunted up in the fall to be sheared again. About one-half of them are 
then sold to di'overs to be slaughtered for mutton, which is of the natural increase of 
the flock. This is a healthy climate for sheep. 

Mr. J. S. Lavender, Pike : 

The main profit in sheep is raising lambs in the spring, shearing them in the fall, 
and killing them before winter and using their flesh for mutton. There is no profit in 
keeping sheep in this county when you have to keep over in winter. 

Mr. James R. Brown, Cherokee : 

I do not think wool can be produced in this part of Georgia at 6 cents per pound, as 
stated by our commissioner of agriculture. In the Avire-grass part of Lower Georgia 
it might. This section of the State has grown iip in such thickets that the bushes kill 
or shade out a large portion of the grass and other pasturage. 

Dr. Wm. l!^. Bruce, Decatur : 

In 1866 I had a flock of 40 sheep, somewhat improved by having a Merino buck with 
them. With great vigilance in their care they decreased, and in 1877 we sheared 
eleven ewes, every wether missing. I propose to try again. Several individuals have 
bought up hundreds, and after a trial lasting for a year or two abandoned them. 

Mr. M. D. Sanford, Catoosa : 

One hundred sheep cost .f 100 ; product in laml)s, 75 = $75. Cost of keeping equal to 
manure and increase. Therefore the profit is equal to the wool=3|^ pounds to each 
sheep, or 350 pounds of wool, worth 25 cents per pound =:; $87.50 profit. 

Mr. Freeman Walker, of Stewart County, Georgia, has 10 .J head that 
make him 5 pounds of wool per year each, for which he gets $132.50. 
It costs him only $10 to feed them on cotton-seed during the months that 
it is necessary to feed, and they average 75 lambs per year. The actual , 
expense of keeping is about $10 per year. What his sheep make is just 
like picking it up. 

The following paragraph is from Dr. Janes' Manual of Sheep Hus- 
bandry in Georgia : 

Mr. David Ayers, of Camilla, MitchellCounty, in Southwestern Georgia, where snow 
never falls and the ground seldom freezes, and where the original pine forest is car- 
peted with the native grass, says his sheep, 3,500 in number, cost him annually 14 
cents per head, clip three pounds of unwashed wool which sells at 30 cents i)er pound, 
giving a clear profit of 1)0 ])er cent, on the money and labor invested in sheep. Lauds 
suited to sheep-raising can l)e purchased in this section of the State for from $1.50 
to $10 i)er acre, according to location. Mr. Ayers does not feed his sheep at any time dur- 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 49 

ing the year, ueitlier has he introduced the improved breeds, using only what is known 
as the native sheep. Of course, tlie cross of the Spauisli Merino on tliis stock would 
give better results in both quantity and qualitj' of wool. These sheep receive little 
care except to be gathered up once a year to be sheared and marked. Mr. Ayers com- 
plains of the ravages of dogs on the sheep and of hogs and eagles on the lambs. 

Mr. Eobert C. Hmnber, of Putnam County, in Middle Georgia, fur- 
nishes some interesting facts from his experience in sheep-raisino- as a 
factor of mixed husbandry, in which the famous an<l much-dreaded Ber- 
muda grass is utilized. He keeps 138 sheep of the cross between the 
Merhio and the common stock. He says the cost is "nothing except the 
salt they eat," while they pay 100 per cent, on the investment in nnitton, 
land)s, and wool. They yield an average of 3 pounds of wool per head, 
wliich he sells at the very low price of 25 cents, less than the market 
price. It costs him nothing' except the shearing-. His sheep range on 
Bermuda grass, old fields in summer, and the x)lantation at large, em- 
bracing the fields from which crops have been gathered and the cane- 
bottoms, in winter. They are never fed at any season. 

The records of this department furnish the following illustration of 
profit for Pulaski County, Georgia. Mr. A. bought 800 head of sheep in 
1808, of which the following statement is made : 

Dk. 

Cost $7r>0 on 

Cost of hand to care for them, .fl2 and $15 per month IHO 00 

Cost of salting and incidental expense 20 00 

$9C0 00 

Cr. 

2,000 pounds wool, at 30 cents 600 00 

Increase, 225 lambs, at $1 225 00 

15 acres of land well manured, $10 per acre 150 00 

700 sheep on hand, at $1.50 per head 1,050 00 

2. 025 00 

Profit 1,075 00 

This was the scrub stock of the piny wood counties of Georgia, but 
serves to illustrate the profits of sheep-raising, even in Georgia. Pastur- 
age costs nothing. Good stock would pay better. 

Mr. John Bradford, Leon County, Florida, says: 

Ten years ago the writer began with 25 ewes and 2 bucks, common stock. Four 
years ago I procured a Merino buck. Have butchered about 130 mutton, lost heavily 
in not looking after lambs in January and February, and very heavily (some years as 
much as 30 percent.) by roguish negroes, and have now 130 in my flock. The manure 
has more than paid for the actual cost of keejjing. Have only had good attention one 
winter, then with the very best results, as the wool-clij) and increase of flock amounted 
to about 90 per cent, of the value of the flock. 

Mr. William E. Woodruff, Duval : 

Sheep husbandry has been about the best paying thing here, but since the negroes 
have given up work and become the proprietors of about four dogs each on an average 
it has become worthless. The fleece, although light, is fine and clean, and the mul-tou 
is, I think, finer in flavor than at the North. 

Mr. A. M. Beardsley, Bradford: 

I hear of but three persons in this county who have attempted sheep-raising. Of 
these, two have abandoned the enterprise, mainly in consequence of ravages by dogs, 
and the other is compelled to provide quarters for the flock in order to save them from 
these enemies. 

Mr. C. S. Coe, Liberty : ^ 

There is little or no attention paid to sheep in this county; they range the woods i^ 
from one shearing time to the next, often without the owner knowing anything ahouw 

S. Ex. 25 4 



50 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

them, only as lie may happen upon them in hiinting game or gathering up his cattle. 
At shearing time they are gathered, and tiu'ued into the woods again to ramble at 
their pleasure until next shearing time. 

Mr. Henry J. Stewart, Hamilton: 

About three or four years ago one farmer increased his flock (by purchase) to 400 
head. He allowed them to roam at will, taking no pains with them, and tlie result is 
a loss of at least 50 per cent. i>er year, not by disease, but by dogs mostly, some few by 
drowning. Ours is a fine sheep country, and were the farmers to try they could make 
it exceedingly profitable ; much more so than raising cottou. I scarcely hear of sheep 
dying of disease of any kind. They get very fat running in the woods. 

Mr. William Thompson, Putnam County, Florida, refers to tlie extent 
of wire-grass range, valuable only for spring pasturage, and the spread- 
ing of the more valuable Bermuda grass, and says : 

One flock of sheep, numbering about 1,000, is doing very well, having thousands of 
acres to roam over and pick grasses suited to them for food. Sheep husbandry would 
be profitable if the sheep were attended by a shepherd, and moved from place to place 
on the unoccupied lands, as exhaustion of range would require, 

Mr. John H. Martin, Lauderdale, Alabama: 

There are many instances of small flocks paying over 100 per cent, on investment, 
the manure not taken into consideration. We are getting some grade sheep now that 
Avill average from 7 to 9 pounds, and a few that will go 10 to 15 pounds. The north- 
ern portion of our country is especially adaj)ted to sheep husbandry. 

Mr. William S. Earnest, Jefferson : 

lam satisfied that we have in this county as good lands for sheep-raising as can be 
found on the continent. We have in this county a i)lat of laud 18 miles long by about 
6 wide, nearly all wild mountain land, that would feed and raise 10,000 sheep. 

Mr. E. H. Powell, of Bullock County, reports a small Hock of Maj. J. 
P. Culver, which has received care and shelter, which it well repays. 
He bought 25 common sheep in 1873, costing $55 ; supplied himself with 
mutton, sold some to his neighbors, and now has 20G, worth $575. He 
gets 28 cents per pound for wool, and derives an annual profit of $180 
fro-u his flock. His loss Irom disease was but 1^ per cent, last year.- 
During two months in winter extra feed is provided. 

Mr. John Eobinson, Wayne County: 

Sheep-farming might be profitably engaged in in this region, three-fourths of our 
land being unredeemed or imcultivated, and yielding a fair pasturage during eight 
months of the year. I could fill folios with animadversions on our idiosyncrasies on 
farming, stock-raising, &c., but enough. Unless some philanthropic exemplar comes 
to us and lets us see, it will be some generations ere we get out of our old ruts. 

Mr. J. W. Councell, Watauga County : 

There are 8,625 sheep in my county, valued for taxation at $8,629. Sheep never 
need feeding in this county unless the ground is covered with snow. A flock of sheep 
Avill winter and raise about as many lambs without feeding as with it. 

Mr. J. B. Oliver, Duplin County : 

Can only give you results for 1876 of my flock of 20 head — 15 ewes. They were fed 
two montlis, January and February. Daily fed one bushel i)ea hulls, worth perhaps 
5 cents, and two ears of corn. The whole cost of feeding did not exceed 25 cents each. 
They had seven acres in winter oats as pasturage. The oats were none the worse for 
it, as they made a good crop. They also had the run of a forty-acre field in small 
grain the previous year. From these sheep I raised 12 lambs, for which I was oftered 
$2 each by a butcher the middle of June. I sheared 60 pounds of wool, a part of which 
was sold at 25 cents per pound. I lost one ewe during the winter. Net profit, $31. 

Mr. W. D. Sprott, Claiborne, Mississippi : 

One ilock in this county numbers 100 ewes. They were bred from the native ewe 
crossed with the Southdown. Average, about one-sixth Southdown. Such sheep are 
worth to-day in the market $3 per head. This flock looks well ; has received during 
the past twelve months attention — salt, that is all. They have a large corral with a 
big shed made dog-proof into which they are driven every night. I saw this flock 
turned out this morning ; they had following them 102 lambs Irom one day to three 
weeks old, looking well. 



•SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 51 

Mr. W. W. Dedrick, Hinds, Mississippi : 

Mr. M. C. Caunada purchased in December, 1875, 225 slieep, mostly ewes. He lias 
sold $110 iu muttou and |260 in wool. He has on hand 250 grown sheej) and 150 
lambs. Cost of keeping, shearing, attendance, &c., $75 jier annum. 

Mr. T. S. Ford, Marion : 

Eleven years ago Mr. R. invested $575, gold, in sheep at .f 1.75 per head. He has 
since kept an accurate account of his income from these sheep, and states that he has 
realized in cash from wool and nmtton during the eleven years over $10,000. He has 
now a flock of 1,500. The annual expense, including taxes, is not ten cents per head. 
He sees them but once a year. They run in the woods like deer and are not even 
salted. This, however, is an exceptional locality, there being few dogs. Sheep do 
'not subsist on the woods' gi"ass, but entirely on herbs, mainly upon one small perennial 
iierb, growing flat on the ground, with broad and rounded leaves, resembling very 
much the deer-tongue (vanilla). 

Mr- F. A. Wolfe, Hinds County : 

I have only been experimenting three years, and during that time have tested the 
Cotswold on the native ewe, and have found the cross of good size, but not so easily 
fattened. After fattening they are much more easily reduced in flesh than the cross 
of the Southdown on the common ewe. I have only my original imported Cotswolds, 
two years having lost all their increase, i. e., the full-bloods. I feel very much en- 
couraged in sheep-husbandry and will continue to increase my flock, but cannot have 
over 200 in one flock, as i)euuing more than this number in one inclosure at night Avill 
not do in this climate. 

Mr. W. H. Jacobs, Queen Anne, Maryland, tlius writes of the sheep- 
range of Southern Mississippi : 

A long residence in Southwestern Mississippi has convinced me that in that portion 
of the South sheep-raising, if properly prosecuted, might be made more profitable 
than cottcm-planting. At that time (thirty years ago) much of the Gulf Hill lands 
had become by incessant cotton-planting exhausted of their original fertility, but 
Avhen thrown out as unprofitable for cultivation would in a few years become covered 
with a dense mass of Bermuda grass, affording the finest jierennial pasture for sheep 
that I have ever seen. As editor at that time of the Port Gibson Herald, I endeavored 
through the columns of my own paper, and through those of the Plough, Loom and 
Anvil, a magazine then puldished by the venerable John S. Skinner, to urge this 
branch of industry upon the planters of that region. I had the hearty co-operation 
of Mr. Skinner, but we labored in vain. The owners of these lands admitted the jus- 
tice of our arguments, that while these '' wornout" lands were incapable of producing 
crops of cotton, they were almost unequaled as sheep pastures ; that a few years of 
such pasturage would restore their origiual fertility, when a crop of corn and cow 
pease would kill out the grass and ]5repare the ground for greatly increased croj>s of 
the greater staple (cotton.) 

Mr. B. F. Dane, Kendall, Texas : 

Although most of our county is adapted to sheep-husbandry, I find these to thrive 
the best under fence on account of its mountainous surface. Unless very carefully 
herded, losses will occur when the flock is spread sufficiently for them to graze. 
Under fence they run at will and graze and eat at their leisure. The pasture should 
be subdivided so as to occasionally give them a fresh run. For the winter they 
should have a dry shelter at night. I find by this system that the flock will yield 
.about a third more wool, sustain fewer losses, require less acres to graze on, save the 
wages of a shepherd, and in every resjiect do better. 

Mr. J. T. Hester, of Navarro County, says : 

I have been engaged in sheep-raising for fourteen years. In this and all the old 
prairie counties, from 300 to 400 sheeii do well ; 100 per cent, gross profit is a fair state- 
ment. The profit diminishes 10 per cent, per 100 head as you go over 400. My flock has 
ranged from 300 to 1,000. I put annually 100^ pounds of prairie hay and one bushel of 
cotton-seed to each sheep ; have good shelters ; permit no ewes to have lambs until 
fully grown ; do not herd close ; give my sheep close attention, and realize about 50 
per cent, clear jjrofit on 400 head, at a valuation of $1,000, 

Mr. James Walker, Lavaca : 

Mr. S. B. Moore has a flock of 1,500 head let out to a herder on shares, and there- 
fore furnishes a pretty safe sample of annual profits. He gives the herder one-fourth of 
the wool, and one-fourth of the annual increase ; that is, the actual increase. Mr. Moore/ 
furnishes the salt, sheejt-dip, (Sec, and the herder pays all other expenses, and one 



52 .SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

fourth of the sheiiriug expenses. This makes the net yiehl to Mr. Moore for woo! $S00. 
The iucrease of tlock will average 800 head, which, at .$1.50 per lamb in spring, makes 
$1,200, one-fourth of which to herder, leaves .$900 to Mr. Moore ; thus giving a net 
annual profit of $1,700 or about $1.33^ per head on entire flock. 

]\[r. Pry or Lea, Goliad : 

Cost and profit of growing wool may be estimated in two ways. Crediting increase 
of sheep as equal to all cost, the wool would be net profit, and this is claimed by many 
producers. Without crediting iucrease with more than enough to maintain the flock 
equal to its primitive condition, a practical estimate for cost, considering every kind 
of au item, might be from 10 to 12 cents per pound of unwashed wool, averaging 17 
cents in market. This latter mode gives broad margin for contingencies. 

Mr. M. J. Demnaii, Kimble County, Texas, thus writes of tlie flock of 
Messrs. Burton and Lemons : 

They purchased 1,000 head of grade sheep, three-fourths Spanish Merino and one- 
fourth Mexican sheep ; this purchase was made in 1876, i'u January. The total weight 
of spring fleeces was 3,100 pounds, and sold at San Antonio at 19 cents per pound, 
bringing $589. The fall clip of 1876 weighed 2,732 pounds, and sold in Austin at 20 
cents per pound, bringing .$546.40. He lost 58 head of the nnml)er purchased up to 
January, 1877, and the iucrease was 369 to the same date, showing an increase in the 
flock of 311 head; the co.st of attention, including all expense, was $240, leaving the 
handsome profit on the wool of $895.40, saying nothing of the 311 increase, which 
is worth at least $900 in our home market. The flock above mentioned has been well 
cared for, and shows the result of proper attention to sheep in this immediate neigh- 
horhood; other flocks well attended show the same result. Mexican sheep yield 
only 2 pounds of wool annually, which is worth only from 9 to 13 cents per i^ouud, 
hriiiging only enough to pay the expenses of attendance. 

Mr. E. L. Walker, Stephens : 

Mr. G. W. Gore owns about GOO sheep, and during last year lost but one sheep from 
his flock; cause natural death. Others have lost from " scab" contracted elsewhere. 
The yield of fleece depends upon the stock. We are breeding up from common "Mex- 
ican sheep." Sheep-husbandry is a new indi>stry in this couuty. Until the last 
eighteen months attention was paid to nothing but cattle. Stephens County is admi- 
rably adapted to sheep-raising, being diversified in surface, plains (flats), rolling, hilly, 
and many high creek bottoms. 

Mr. P. S. Clarke, Waller: 

Every year I looked after the flock they paid me full measure, and when I neglected 
them they neglected me. 

Mr. H. Chamberlain, l^ueces, a county which sustains more .sheep than 
some States, thus writes of the condition of wool-growing : 

The last ten years have wrought favorable changes in the sheep interests and sheep 
management in' this county. Since the range began to be eaten close, and waste grasses 
ceased to lie on the surface, those diseases which had threatened many flocks have 
gradually, if not entirely, disappeared. Foot-rot is now unknown in this county. 
Lumbrcs, a complaint which up to 1868 had carried ofi' many thousands of sjiring 
lambs annually, commencing in July or August and operating upon them through the 
fall and winter, until the flock frequently became exhausted. This disease follows 
overflows, and a superabundance of rank grasses. It consists of something like a knob 
of long, small worms, resembling hair, in the stomach, the lungs invariably becoming 
attected ; the outward symptoms resembling consumption in the human race. Semi- 
annual laniljiug is also very generally adopted in the county, the February or spring 
crop l)eiug always preferable; one set of ewes lamb in spring, and another set in the 
f;ill. Flocks are sheltered from November 15 to February 1 by selecting their range 
and night camp on the south side of some creek or prairie timber. 

Mr. Ct. a. Kirklaud, Shackelford: 

Myself and partner bought 900 head of Mexican ewes last July, .$1.50 per head, 18 
Merino bucks, at .$15 per head. For all of our half-breed ewes, the first cross on the 
Mexican ewes with the Merino bucks, we could get $'i per head. The first cross will 
also add one pound nun-e of wool. Four crosses would make fifteen-sixteenths Merino, 
and would be e(]ual in value to any Merino wool. It costs per numth, for herding, $15 ; 
salt, $2; provision herders, $7; total, $24. 

The following is from a successful sheep-raiser in Texas : 

There is quite a ditterence in quality of sheep as well as manner of keeping. Th 
climate is best adapted to the fine-wool sheep. I have 625 high-grade and full-bloo 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 53 

Merino (Ainorlcan). I slielter well, keep dry under foot, and in common winters feed 
liay only in storms, which generally do not exceed twenty days' duration any winter. 
I liave lambs dropped from February 1 to April 1. The breeding-ewes need feed — hay, 
grain, or cotton-seed — until March 1, wlien grass is usually abundant. This attention 
is necessary to the growth of the lambs. My lambs can be taken from the ewes in 
time for them to get well recuperated by winter. The lambs getting the benefit of 
the tender grass in spring get in fine condition for winter. I commenced with ^J20 
ewes three years ago, and have sold sufficient of the Hock to make an increase of 100 
per cent, per year,"average ; and the wool has averaged for that time from 75 cents to 
Ijil per head annually. 

Slieep-lmsbaudry in Tennessee lias long been a successful pursuit. In 
the hands of those who have been personally interested and persistent 
in it, it has always been profitable. Mr. Mark K. Cockrell, of Xashville, 
imported Saxon sheep more than fifty years ago. About twenty years 
ago he wrote the following, in a letter published in the American Shep- 
herd : 

I have abotit 1,000 head of fine sheep and from 400 to 500 long-wooled or mutton 
sheep. My kSaxon slieep were imx)orted in 18i4 orlH.2o, I cannot say Avhicli, and I find 
as yet no falling off in (piantity or quality of their fleeces ; on the contrary, I believe a 
little improvement on both points, and a little more yolk, when well provided for, which, 
you kuow, does not abound much in the Saxon breed. In addition, the fieeces are a 
little more compact than formerly, hence more weight ; and, from our mild climate, 
the staple has become Jongev. I assert it to be a tact that the cotton region I am now in 
(Mr. Cockrell dates from Madison County, Mississippi, where a i>art of his sheep are 
kept), in about latitude '?>'Z^ north, is better than any country north of it to grow wool, 
as the sheep can be kept all the time grazing, by sowing small grain ; for if grazed off", 
it ([uickly grows again in a few days; and the wool of the fine Saxon sheep in this 
climate is softer aiul more cotton-like than any I have ever seen, although I have 
samples from all parts of the world. I have traveled from this very place to Boston, 
sampling all the sheep of note on the Avay, and I found nothing on my journey or at 
Boston as good as the wool I had grown, and so said all the wool-staplers whom I met 
with, and they were not a few. I presumed, in reality, that the blood of my sheep 
was no better than many I saw, but the suiieriority of my wool I ascribed to oui" cli- 
mate, and the i>rovision for the sheej) of succulent food the year round. 

Mr. Mark S. Cockrill, of Davidson County, Tennessee, writes to this 
department as follows : 

I have lived on a sheep-farm all my life (forty years), and assert from close practi- 
cal observation and experience, that 100 per centum per annum can be made on money 
actually invested in sheep in Middle and East Tennessee. But it reqnii-es a knowledge 
of the natural enemies of the sheep in this latitude and how to prevent or avoid them. 
The greatest eneniyis the sheex> gad-fly. The habits of this fly are x'letty generally 
known by all sheep-breeders, but there is one xieculiarity about it that I have never 
seen in print, and that is that it lays living worms instead of eggs, as Dr. Randall de- 
clares. Any one wishing to test this can catch a fly, and by iiressure iipon the abdo- 
men force out living worms, when they will immediately begin to crawl. Pine tar and 
pulverized sulphur put upon the noses of the sheep is the preventive, and ambeer 
injected into the nostrils of the sheep the remedy. By proper troughs the sheep can 
be made to tar their own noses, and the ambeer should be used very carefully. The 
sheep should l)e placed upon his back and held in a position to prevent the ambeer 
from being swallowed, as it will sicken, and if taken in sulficient cxuantities will kill 
the sheep. 

Mr. George W. Morley, of Mci^^airy, Tennessee, had in 1877 a flock of 59 
native sheep, of which 39 ewes produced ho half-breed (Southdown and 
]Merino) lambs. He received 8159.50 for sheep and mutton sold or used, 
$92.75 for wool. Deducting $25 i>aidfor Southdown ram and 81 for two 
sheep less on hand, his net receipts were $223.25. They receive as win- 
ter feed five bushels of cotton-seed each, and have the run of winter 
grain fields. 

Mr. Henry C. Evans, Jeiferson County, West Virginia, says : 

Mr. J. M. Vanmetre, of Berkeley County, kept 270 ewes last year, Avhich raised 257 
lambs that were sold at f2.50 per head, and the fleeces were estimated at $1 each, 
making $912.50 income, and the cost of feed, pasturage, and care did not exceed $420, 
valuing the pasture at what it was worth for pasturing cattle. This leaves a profit of^ 
$1.71 per head on the flock kejtt. 



54 SHEEP-HUSBANDEYi 

Mr. Henry Keff, Gilmer, West Virginia : 

The improved breeds (and tlieir cost is no more than the common) the cost of keep- 
ing one year is estimated at $2 and the profits $1.85 per head. A cross between the 
Lincoln and Leicester is preferred. 

Mr. J. D. Gntbrie, Shelby, Kentucky, says that sheep hnsbandry is 
largely on the increase, and farmers are finding it very remunerative ; that 
improved long- wools pay the best, while those who keep common or short- 
wool ewes and jjropagate from rams of the long-wooled or mutton breeds 
for butcher's use, or to grade up for quality and price of both wool and 
mutton, are satisfied with the result. Below is an approxiniate result 
of the rofits from both breeds, as presented b}' Mr. Guthrie: 

To 100 common ewes, cost.. ^ $300 00 

To 2 Cotswold bucks 50 00 

To feeding, &c : 50 00 

Total cost 400 00 

By 100 himbs to butcher. $400 00 

By 400 pounds wool, at 25 cents per pound 100 00 

By value of ewes and bucks after lambiug 300 00 

eoo 00 
Net profit - , 400 00 

800 00 

To 100 Cotswold ewes, cost |1,200 00 

To2 bucks 50 00 

To feed, &c 50 00 

1,300 00 

By 100 lambs, $10 each. $1,000 00 

By 1,000 pouiuTs of wool, at 36 cents 360 00 

Value of ewes and bucks after lambing 1. 200 00 

2,560 00 
Net profit. -----.- - -- ----- 1>2^^ 0*^ 

2 560 00 

Mr. Silas Gatewood, of Trimble, Kentucky, reports the expenses and 
income of a flock of 50 Cotswold ewes costing $8 each. The items are: 
pasturage, at $1 per head, $50; 3 tons of hay in winter, $24; salt, $1; 
sheariug, $6; care of flock, $20. Eeturns, 000 pounds of wool, $180; 
08 lambs sold, $232 ; manure, $30. Profit, $341. 

The following cases of liberal feeding and careful breeding for imi)rove- 
ment of other flocks found in existing records of this department, show 
that this branch of sheep-husbandry has been made x>i"ofitable in the 
South. 

Mr. A. T. Drane, who was engaged in breeding Cotswold from 1850 to 
1866, Avithout intermixture, has been crossing them with Lincolns, and 
as yet 1ms had no occasion to regret his action. It is a fine grass region, 
such as the heavy breeds delight in, and the clinmte appears to be con- 
genial, sheep being proverbially healthy. They thrive upon grass ex- 
clusively, appearing to desire no other food when it can be had, and 
getting no grain except at yeaning time. Mr. U. thus writes concern- 
ing them : 

They usually have one lamb at a birth, but have twins about often enough to make 
n]) for losses, and save alxuit one lamb to the ewe bred. They are remarkably good 
nurses. Their fleeces are heavy, J(nig, and lustrous, and command the best ])rices for 
combing. I sell rams chiefly, seldom sell ewes, and witlKUit attempting to state what 
it will cost to keep a sheep a year, or tell how many may be kept on an acre of grass, 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 55 

I will merely give a glimpse of tlie record of my flock iu 1869, and let the reader make 
his own deductions : 

From 80 slieep sold 848 pounds of wool iu grease for $364 62 

Sold sliccp during the year 638 00 

Rent of one ram 100 00 

1, 102 62 

I now have on hand 83 head of sheep, and my flock has yielded a gross return of 
$13.78 each, with a gain of three sheep. 

Mr. Isaac Shelby, of Boyle County, Kentucky, reports a flock of 50 
ewes, of Southdown and CotsAvold blood, valued at $500 in the begin- 
ning of 1877. The account of last jenv is thits presented: 

Dr. 

50 ewes, at $10 each .$500 00 

Cost of pasturage, salt, and shearing 62 00 

Interest on value , 41 00 

603 00 
Cr. 

50 ewes, present value $350 00 

48 1amh8, sold at $4 192 00 

220 pounds wool, sold at 28 cents 61 60 

603 60 

He thus figures a profit of |3 per head, which is offset by an equal 
loss in reduced valuation, resulting from a want of stability in market 
l)rices. Though the sheep have lost no intrinsic value, they could not 
realize so much money by $150. 

Mr. A. K. Denny says tliat great numbers of mountain ewes are brought 
into Boyle County, Kentucky, from Tennessee and Virginia, for the pur- 
pose of raising market lambs, and that the business has proved profit- 
able, the lambs selling for $3 to $1 during May and June. He bred 25 
ewes in 1870; the lambs came in February, 1877; lost 15 per cent., but 
raised 35. He thus reports the result : 

25 ewes clipx)ed 162^ pounds ; 6| pounds each, at 34 cents $55 25 

35 lamhs clipped, 15th July, 117^ pounds; 3^ pounds each, at 25 cents 29 37 

Value of 35 lambs, September 10, 1877, at $5 each 175 00 

259 62 

Cost of keeping 25 ewes for 12 months, at $3 per head $75 00 

Cost of keeping 35 lambs from July 10 to September 10, 20 cents 7 00 

82 00 

Profit 177 62 

The ewes were old, and I sold them in December for $7 per head for the market. I 
gave mine no feed during the winter, except during a deep snow iu January, 1877; 
ihen ouly some hay for two weeks. 

Mr. George S. Baber, of Scott County, has a flock of pure-bred Cots- 
wolds — keeping about 10 for breeding. They have grass the whole year, 
and in cold or stormy weather are fed some corn and oats, and are housed 
in very bad stormy weather, and cost in keeping the year about $10 per 
head, having extra care and attention; this flock clii)s on an average 
]0 pounds combing wool, and raises on an average one lamb to the ewe. 
He sells his entire surplus to breeders, in this and other States, at i>rices 
ranging from $25 to $100 per head, according to age and selection. He 

procures every two years an imported or Canada buck at a cost of about 

/ 
/ 



56 SHEEP-IIUSBANDRY. 

$100, for liis own breeding. He breeds his lambs at eigliteen months 
okl. 

Common Ootswold flocks, kept simply for the mutton and wool, also 
pay well in Kentucky, as the following record from Carroll County 
shows : 

The slieep most profitable in our connty are tlie Cotswold and their grades. They 
will consume probably one-fonrth more food than the line wool sheep, but are hardy, 
needing no shelter, and generally live the entire Avinter on our blue-grass pastures 
Avithout other food, produce from 6 to 10 pounds of wool per head, and from 60 to 100 
pounds good mutton at one and two years old. I have about 50 in my dock of the 
Cotswolds and grades which I have taken as a. sample for the above statement. They 
have not eaten a single jiouud of hay or anything but what they have gathered for 
themselves in the pasture, winter or summer, for the last two years. This avooI is 
worth, just as it comes from the sheep, unwashed, 35 cents per pound; mvitton is 
Avorth 10 cents. 

Mr. M. O. Taylor, Crawford County, Missouri:' 

I came from Obioto this place eight years ago; haA^e been more or less through eight 
States, and have always counted that this portion of Missouri is the best and most 
profitable place to raise sheep that I have CA^er seen. The surface of the land is roll- 
ing, maluug it sufficiently dry to be very healthy for sheep, with springs and running- 
brooks to afford sufficient Avater. There has been but little done, hoAvever, to improve 
the breed or for their care in winter, Avhich last accounts for so many lambs being lost. 

It is impracticable and unnecessary to produce the returns in detail. 
All are important as constituents of the tabular consolidations ; still it 
has been deemed proper to present in considerable fullness the variety 
of views held bj^ correspondents, as nearly as possible in their own 
language. In addition to the quotations heretofore given, the following 
additional notes bearing upon the profits of sheep husbandry are given : 

Maryland. — Cecil : The hay raised in this county commands a higher price in Balti- 
more than any other. The old sedge lands have neai'ly all been brought under culti- 
vation and improA'cd so as to yield profitable grass and other crops. H'd^IiiiK/tun : Yew 
raised ; farmers buy from Pennsylvania, in order to fatten for the mark(^t in the spring. 

Virginia. — Prhtce Edicard : Formerly cA'ery planter had his flock of sheep to raise 
wool for his own family and for sale. The obstacles are Avant of suitable iuclosures, 
and thieves, biped and quadruped. Our lands are Avell adapted to sheep-raising, but 
at present not one farmer in ten has sheej). Sussex : Sheep live and thriAC here Avitli- 
out any care winter or summer, and would doubtless do much better if cared for in 
Avinter. BucHiuiUam : From the present prices of wheat, tobacco, &c., I think sheep- 
raising Avill become more extensive and profitable than tillage. GoochlaiHl : Land and 
grasses Avell adapted to the raising of sheep. Sheep- culture could be made profitable 
if well managed ; they seem to do well Avithout any attention. Nanseinond : Sheep- 
hxisbandry is not and cannot be n)ade profitable in the tide-Avater, southeast section of 
Virginia. When many are herded together they become diseased and die. Oraiuje : 
The cost of keeping is about 50 cents a head in two flocks of long-wooledCotswold and 
Leicester, and 30 cents per head for a. flock of 80 Merinoes. The profit of one of the 
long-wooled flocks Avas |>6.75 per head ; of the other, $5.90 per head ; the Merinoes, 
$6.20. These results may be largely augmented by increased attention. The A-ariety 
of grasses and herbage render this connty a paradise for sheep and sheep-husbandry. 
Middlesex : One hundred acres will graze 40 sheep, and by adding one dollar to each 
sheep for winter feeding, we have as follows : For 100 acres, !|300 ; interest on money, 
$;50 ; 40 ewes and 2 bucks, |100 ; interest on same, |o ; $7;5o. Forty ewes will pro- 
duce 50 himl)s, Avhich sell readily at 1|4 each, $200; 294 jiouuds of avooI, unwashed, at 
25 cents, 1|73.50 ; total, $273.50. The profit on the iuA'estment can be easily seen. 
Kinf/ WiUiam : It needs no argument or statistical aA-erage to couA-ince people that 
sheep-raising is the most profitable pursuit that can be followed. Drawback, half- 
starved dogs. Our cliuiate is mild and pasture laud abundant. 

Wkst Virginia. — (iircuhrier: Great portion of the county yet in timber. Sheep 
could not be Avintered Avithout inclosing land and making preparation. Forty-seven 
eAves had ()7 lainl»s (5 died), and gave a net profit of $113.92. reiidleton: It is ditticult 
to imagine Avhy we liaA-e not turned our attention to sheep-husbandry. Sheep would 
be much more remunerative than cattle, and enable us to get a ]n-ofit from a great 
deal of nuproductive land. Fayette: Very little ]m)visi(m made for sheltei'ing sheep. 
They are fed on hay and corn fodder ; sometinu's a little corn. 

North Carolina. — AJleijIuDuj : Cost of keeping sheep, 25 cents; profit, 75 cents. 
Anson: Until some means is devised by which thieving and the ravages of dogs are 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 57 

checked, sheep-liushandiy will not prosper. Ashe: Tliis county is Tvell adapter! to 
slieep-ralsiug, and there is a general tendency to iuipi'ove the breeds and to devote 
more special attention to sheep. Bevtic : Reporter's tiock of .50 head last year yielded 
200 pounds of wool, which sold for $7:^ ; 32 lambs, for |96. The cost of shearing; and 
one bushel of salt was |5.75; leaving a net profit of f 162.25. Biiucombe: Pasturage 
good; dogs destructive; hence no more sheep are raised than absolutely necessary for 
domestic use. Calxin-KS : The manure alone dropi>ed by the sheep pays for their keep. 
Duplin : Reporter's tiock numbers 20 head (1.5 ewes). Cost of keep, 25 cents per head ; 
GO pounds of wool, at 25 cents, |15; 12 lambs, worth $24; making the returns $39. De- 
ducting from this the cost of feeding and loss of one ewe, there remains a profit of $31. 
Edgecoinhi; : Intelligently managed, sheep-raising is a most profitable business, as wool 
can be raised for less than two cents per pound. The manure is of greatest value to 
the cottou-lands, so that the wool may be regarded as net profit. Henderson : The 
Southdown thrives best. Hertford : Sheep are not profitable, which is due to neglect, 
thieves, and dogs. Iredell : Owing to the utter neglect of the she(?p, sheep-husbandry 
has thus tar proved nn])rofitable, though this county otters a mild cliuuxte and most 
extensive ranges. MitchtU : Oue fiock of 80 is reported, which costs 30 cents per head 
for keej); the fleece — 4 pounds per head — at 35 cents, amounts to $1.40, from wliich, 
if the cost is deducted, a net profit of $1.10 per head is obtained. Oranfje : Sheep are 
raised for the table ; wool is a secondary consideration. The most serious losses are 
sustained from high water. A flock of 18 Cotswold costs annually about $5; profit 
about $10. X((sl) : Tliere is an encouraging interest taken in sheep-raising. Some 
farmers have light, moveable fences, which inclose the land to be manured. The 
grazing plots are changed after every second night. The most popular breed is a cross 
of the Cotswold and the native stock. The Merino is fast coming into favorable 
notice. The sheep are healthy, receive no attention, and have but one enemy — the 
dog. Eoukinf/ham : Sheej>-raising would do well here, with only the slightest attention. 
Transylvania : A growing interest is taken in sheep-raising. Tyrrell: Efibrts are made 
now greatly to im])rove sheep-husbandry in this county. Union: This is a sheej) 
county by nature, and sheep-raising would be a most profitable business rightly un- 
dertaken and pursued. Watauga: There are between 8,000 and 9,000 sheep in this 
county, which shift entirely for themselves, not the least attention being paid to them. 

South Caholixa. — JbbeviUe: An individual expei'ience of twenty-tive years has 
proved that the increase will pay all expenses of keep, leaving fleece and manure as 
profit. Georgetown : There are but two successful wool-growers in this county ; their 
flocks are under control of experienced herdsmen ; too many hungry dogs. Laurens : 
Reporter's flock costs for keep 50 cents per head; profit, 50 per cent. ; neglect and dogs 
are the drawbacks to sheep-husbandry. Oeonee : With proper care improved sheep 
would be the best paying of all stock; sheep live and do well without anything l>nt 
their x)asture the year rojuid. Oraufiehurg : Sheep-raisers are discouraged ; everybody 
is trying to sell out ; half the sheep are annually lost. Spartanburg: There is a for- 
tune in sheep-raising to auy person who will devote his time to it ; i)rofit is according 
to attention. 

Georgia. — Calhoun : The only expense attached to the raising of sheep is that in- 
curred in gathering, luarking, and shearing ; a flock of 16 head increased to 200 in four 
years, with only average attendance ; the money realized from the sale of wool each 
year was invested in sheep ; this flock in the mean time supplied a large family Avith 
mutton. Camden : Few sheep raised, but of all stock are the most profitable ; the 
wool and mutton are net profit. Johnson : Beyond shearing, the cost of .sheep-raising 
is small ; profit, 80 cents per head per annum. Jones : There is a general tendency to 
give umre attention to sheep-raising. Lincoln: The few special ettorts made with 
sheep have not l)een attended by profitable results. McDuffie : There are several 
planters giving attention to sheep-raising ; their flocks yield from 25 to — per cent, 
upon the investment ; to this climate the Southdown and Cotswold, ci'ossed with the 
Merino, are best adii,])ted, and if properly housed could be sheared semi-annually. Mur- 
ray : But few flocks in this county, yet the most ordinary attention to the sheep will 
pay 100 per cent, on the cai)ital invested. Oglethorpe : Though not suited to sheep- 
raising in all ])arts, with a little care and an enforced dog-law, might be made to i»ay 
well. Whitfield: Doubtless sheep-raising miglit easily be made a X'-'iyin^' business. 
Worth : The only expense in raising shee]> is shearing — 2^ cents ])er head. Terrell : 
Sheep-raising is fast gaining favor among the farmers, and would soon flourish if the 
dogs could be kept under control. 

Florida. — Clay : The profits realized on sheep amount to 50 per cent. Jackson : The 
number of sheep is about 5,000. The jiroduct of avooI might, with proper manage- 
ment, be very greatly increased, and the only drawback to raising mutton for the 
market is the want of facilities of transportation. Orange: Several years ago an 
attempt was made to raise sheep, but the exjieriment was a failure. Now there is not 
a single sheep in the county. iSuwannee: Cost of raising sheep nominal; profit 100 per 
cent. Santa Rosa: Cost of kee,]), 5 per cent ; profit from 25 to 40 per cent. 

Alabama. — Barbour: Sheep-husbaudry is steadily gaining ground. Lately some 



58 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

fine blocks from Kentiicl^y have been iutrodnced. Tlie only drawback is want of good 
grazing-lands. Blount: The cost, ]al)or, and care expended on sheep is so little, that 
the cost of wool is not more than that of cotton, pound for ponnd. If sheep received 
the proper care and attanticm the cost of wool would not be matei'ially increased, as 
the natural increase of the flocks would fully compensate for extra care and labor. 
Colbert: Sheep are raised only for domestic use, though they pay, with a nominal cost, 
a profit of 30 per cent. Calkomi: With all the natural advantages of the best sheep 
country in the world, sheep-raising in this county will be a failure until the dog can 
be brought under control. Coffee: In 1868 a farmer began with a flock of 14 head ; it 
now numbers 53. In the mean time no other attention was given than feeding on salt 
once or twice a year. A very large number was lost, stolen, and killed, from time to 
time. They now yield wool worth $50, besides supplying an occasional mutton. Date : 
Sheep-raising is making great progress and is favored by land-pine woods tit for noth- 
ing else. Lowinleii: Moi'e dogs than sheep in this county. The many worn-cmt old 
fields might be most profitably utilized by being set with Bermuda grass, thus making 
fine sheep-pastures; but cotton is the all-engaging 8nl)ject. Morf/an: In the mountain 
belt of this county the farmers are beconuug alive to the wool-growing business. Thus 
far but the most passing attention has been given to this 'subject. Winston: But few 
sheep raised, the flocks averaging about 15 in number. With .an outlay of 30 cents 
per head there is a return of 85 cents. 

Mississippi. — Amite: There is a good prospect that sheep raising Avill soon become 
popular. Sheep can be kept for 10 to 15 cents per head on such lands as this county 
attbrds. Bolivar: This county is iu)t dry enough for successful sheep-raising. Choc- 
taw: Most excellent grazing-lands and many old fields that might be used for shee])- 
l)asture, but thus far sheep-husbandry has received no attention. Greene: A net profit 
of 20 per cent, is realized on shee]>. Grenada: An encouraging change in favor of 
sheep is gradually taking place. The princii)al drawback to an otherwise profitable 
busiuess is neglect of the lambs. Loirnclcs : Not much natural pasturage, but with a 
little expense the many worn-out fields might be converted into most excellent sheep- 
pastures. Even now the profits on sheep are from 50 to 75 per cent. liankin: Thus 
far, on account of pasturage, cattle have been more profitable than sheep, l)ut of late 
the latter are introduced on worn-out farms. Hinds: Keported experiments show that 
a cross of the Cotswold and the native ewe is not so good as that of the Southdown 
and the native ewe. Profits at least 50 ju-r cent. Benton: Two flocks in this county 
have doubled their numbers annually. Cost, about 25 cents per head per annum, 
which was more than returned in fleece. 

Louisiana. — La Fourrhe : Little adapted to sheep-husbandry. What few Ave have 
are healthy, and live on native grasses. IJast Baton Bouye: Could no doubt be made 
profitable. Very little of it done except for home use. Sheep healthy, and require 
tint little extra care. ClaiJmrne: A profitable investment when intelligently managed. 
It is a growing industry. Flocks Avith care should increase 75 j)er cent, annually. 
Bossier: There is no doubt that sheep-husbandry is the most profitable as w'cU as most 
pleasant labor of the husbandman. The number of fine sheep brought to this county 
lately is considerable, and may be regarded as an earnest of what the future of sheep 
husbandry may be. In the near future it will be our chief source of revenue. 

Texas. — I'alo Pinto: 1,000 sheej) will cost about $300 per annum; extra help in 
lambing time, $30 ; salt, $15 ; shearing, $50 ; feed during wiuter, $200. Small herds 
here will pay better than large ones wlien they are so large as to retpiire a herder. 
Xararro: In this and all the old settled prairie counties from 300 to 400 sheep do 
Avell. One hundred per cent, gross profit is a fair statement. The profit diminishes 
10 per cent, per 100 head as you go over 400. Put up 100 jjounds prairie hay, and 1 
bushel cotton-seed to the sheep. Have good shelter, and give my sheep close atten- 
tion. Realize a clear profit of 50 per cent, on 400 head at a valuation of $1,001). Kim- 
hall: A flock of 1,000 head increased 369 in one year (counting losses); sheared 5,832 
l)ounds of wool (worth $1,135), tlw increase of sheep Avorth $900; expenses, giA'ing 
good attention, $240. Goliad: Without crediting iucreasc Avith more than enough to 
maintain the flock equal to its primitive condition, a practical estimate for cost, con- 
sidering every kind of item, might be from 10 to 12 cents per pound of unwashed wool, 
averaging 17 cents in market. This gives a broad margin for contingencies. Bande)-a : 
Lands suitable for sheep-raising can be located on note certificates for 20 to 30 cents 
per aci'e, in siirveys of 640 acres each, one for the owner of the ci-rtificate, the other 
for the school-fund. Exjiense of surveys aliout $12. Ellis: There are OA-er 500,000 
acres of pasture land in the county avcU atla))ted to sheep-raising. It is claimed that 
there are 75 difl'erent kinds of grasses grown here that are A'alual)le for sheep. Farmers 
still continue to raise cotton at from 6 to 7 cents per pound and sell it at from 4 to 10 
cents, Avhen avooI can be raised at the sauu* price and sold at 15 to 25 cents per 
pound. Bosijne: Very few sheep, but one of the best sheep counties in the State. 
fVallvr : A few years ago I sent the facts of my flock. Every year that I looked after 
them they paid me full nu'asure: when I neglected tln'm they neglected me. Titns : 
We are Avearing down our lauds and muscles at ruinous rates, raising cotton at G to 8 



SHEEP-HUSBANDKY. 59 

cents y)er pound. Some fevr farmers have picked, up some slieep and are making it 
pay handsomely. Stephens : Admirably adapted to sheep-raising. Any amount of for- 
age can be saved, and the only shelter is a long shed for the protection from "northers," 
which are greatly exaggerated as to severity. Sheep are exempt from "rot " and foot 
diseases incident to the level portions of the State. Flocks gain about 85 per cent, for 
every 100 ewes. BockwaU : Cannot be made profitable in this county. Soil, black and 
waxy ; grasses coarse and rank. Fewer sheep in county now than 15 years ago. Menard : 
Indian raids operate against wool-growing. They kill the shepherd for his scalp and 
the sheep for sport. Kennard : Thrive best under fence on account of mountainous sur- 
face. Pasture should be subdivided so as to occasionally give them a fresh one. Should 
have a dry shelter at night in winter. Hunt : Heretofore regarded as of little impor- 
tance, now attracting much attention and considered profit aljle. Fort Bend : Experi- 
ments at sheep-raising have been very successful, but cattle and cotton only receive 
attention. Bowie : No loss excejjt from wolves. Fine sheep country. Whole county 
is a complete jiasture. 

There are a few sheep-breeders in the South who have demonstrated 
the ])rofit of higli-bred sheep, liberal feeding, and constant attention. 
Mr. Crutchtield, near Chattanooga, Tenn., has a flock of modified Cots- 
wolds, yielding a fleece of soft, long fiber, which was produced b}' crosses 
upon native ewes, first bj^ a Merino ram, next by an improved Ken- 
tucky, and finally. Cotswolds. He does not pamper his flocks, but fur- 
nishes an abundant supply- of winter pasture, and ample but not expen- 
sive shelter. He makes the following statement of profits : 

Since 1864, I have invested — 

For ewes $130 00 

For bucks 220 00 

Total 350 00 

Since 1866, I have sold^- 

For breeding and mutton, over $1, 800 00 

For wool 1,.500 00 

$3, 300 00 

I have on hand 78 sheep — 

76 ewes and wethers, mutton price, flO.OO 760 00 

2 bucks, cost 75 00 

60 lambs, at |7 420 00 

4,555 00 
Deduct original cost 350 00 

4,205 00 
Deduct cost of keeping an average of 75 head for ten years, at $2 each 1, 500 00 

2,705 00 
Or a net profit on the amount originally invested in 1864 of over 60 per cent, per 
annum. 

The ewes and wethers are valued at al)ont what they would bring for their wool 
and mutton; the lambs at $7 each, about one-half of which are buck hrmbs, and will 
be sold at from !|15 to $25 each (fifteen of them are now engaged). But suppose they 
are not sold for breeding jiurposes, and are kept simply for wool and mutton, next 
April or May thev will clip an average of ten pounds of wool each, which — 

If sold at 35 cents .153 50 

And weigh from 125 to 150 pounds — say 135, at 5 cents 6 75 

10 25 

Deduct for keejiing, (fee $1 50 

Deduct 10 per cent, loss -....: 1 00 

2 50 

And they will pay 7 75 

I have 78 sheep — 

Ewes, 68; Avethers, 8—76, at $10 each $760 00 

Bucks, 2, at cost 75 00 

835 00 



60 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Cost of keeping twelve months, $1.50 eaeli. ,fll7 00 

Ten per cent, losses 8:5 .'lO 

One per cent, taxes 8 3.5 

1,043 85 

I have from them in wool — 

Shipped to Boston, pounds. 662 

Gave to the servants three fleeces, pounds 23 

688, at 3.5 cents.. $240 80 
Sixty lambs, at $7 each -. 420 00 

660 80 

Or over 60 per cent, upon the investment. 

In my former estimates I have allowed $2 j)er head per annum for keep, »S:c., when 
I had not the grazing oats; now I have allowed |1..50 pev annum for kee]), &e., while 
I am satistied that the droppings of the sheep and cleansing of the meadows would 
jiay their way. They graze the meadows in the summer after m'owing, keep down 
noxious weeds, trumiiet vine, sedge, &c., until frost, when these pests cease to grow; 
tlien they are taken to the grazing oats, and the tame grasses in the meadows ami 
pasture lots put forth with every mild season during the fall and winter, to be grazed 
only when the oat-lield is too soft to allow the sheep to be on it. 

A committee appointed to consider tlie adaptability of Smitli County? 
Tennessee, to profitable sheep-liusbandry, arrives at tlie following con- 
clusions : 

1. That one acre of average pasture will keep three sheep in good condition the 
year round, with only an addition of a little feed in winter for the few days that the 
ground is covered with snow. 

2. That the net profits on sheep in Smith County, as elsewhere, are large, amount- 
ing to more than 50 per cent. 

3. That the best breeds are the Leicester, Cotswold, a cross of the Leicester and Cots- 
wold, and the Southdown. One of our correspondents, we have seen,.})refers a cross 
of the Leicester upon the Merino, and certainly if the lambs, as he claims they do 
from that cross, weigh from 75 to 100 pounds at four or five months, his preference is 
justified l)y the result. 

4. That here in Smith County sheep need scarce any feed the year round. 

5. That what are known as the common scrubs are not worth kee])ing. They yield 
too little wool, and make too little mutton, and of too i)oor a quality to i)ay for rais- 
ing them. 

The committee thus report a statement of the experience of - General B. F. Cheatr 
ham, who in the spring of 1863 bought 12 sheep for $24, the account of which is as 
follows : 

In 1839 Isoldmy Avool for $37 80 

In 1870 I sold my wool lor 46 48 

In 1871 I sold my wool for 7? 73 

In 1872 I sold my wool for 153 17 

In 1873 I sold my wool (in Philadelphia) for , 201 00 

In 1874 Isoldmy wool for. 223 00 

Total amount of wool sold in six vears 739 18 

In 1874 I sold 58 sheep for '. 277 85 

Total 1,017 03 

Have on hand 95 ewes and 100 lambs worth 500 00 

Making total wool and sheep sold, and sheep on hand 1, 517 03 

besidl's the unknown number consumed at the table. 

The general adds : 

My sheep have been raised entirely on grass, winter and summer. When the ground 
is covered with snow, which is only a few days each winter, I have given tliem a few 
feeds of sheaf oats. This spring, after tln^ ewes connnenced lambing, during the ex- 
cessive wet weather, I fed 70 ewes one-half Inisliel shelled corn daily, for thirty days, 
wliich is all the corn ever fed them. 

Arkansas. — Baxhr: Tliis is a mountainous country and well adapted to sheep-rais- 
ing, and farmers are beginning to see the profit in it. Drew: Pay no attention to 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. • 61 

slipcp, only to mark and shear them. Do not need feeding or sheltering. Frniillhi : 
It is an industry to which people i)ay little attention, although it would pay larger 
dividends than cotton. Howard: Do not recjuire any labor but marking and shearing. 
"Will live in the woods from March 1st to November Ist; and afterwards will require 
but little attention, except in case of snow storms, which only last a few days at a 
time. Independence: Think sheep should be folded every night. Izard: Need feeding 
from Januai-y to April. Diseases rare ; very few destroyed by dogs or wolves. 

Tennessee. — Lewis : During the war I had a flock of sheep that was left for two 
years without any attention, except that I had them sheared once a year. They did 
as well as ever, althongh they lived two winters without being fed. Ifarren: "Wool 
can be grown in this county at a cost not exceeding 10 cents per pound, and, were it 
not for worthless dogs, this" branch of husbandry would yield more profit than any 
other. Waijne: Invested $133 in sheep in August, 1876 ; cost of Avinteriug, .$40. Sold 
12 sheep at $2 per head ; avooI, for 132.75 ; value of sheep on hand, $149 ; net profit, 
$32.7.5. Summer pasturing balanced by improvement of land from droppings. Win- 
ter cost of keeping averaged a little too high perhax)S. 

Kentucky. — Cumberland: But few shee]), though it is generally conceded that they 
pay Itetter than tobacco. Graves : The general impression is that sheep-raising would 
be niore profitable than toltacco-growing. Hart : Pasturage most excellent, but sheep- 
raising has not been sufficiently followed to develop its profits. Harrison : The fleece 
will nearly pay cost of keep, leaving a profit of 25 per cent. Johnson: Sheep-raising 
IS not pox>ular with the farmers, though they have all possible adA'antage of making 
it a most profitable business. Lewis: Those persons making sheep-raising a specialty 
report a profit of $2 per head. Owen : Cost of keep, $1.H0 per year ; returns, $2.25 to 
$3. SheU))/ : Sheep-raising is recognized as a remunerative business, and is fast grow- 
ing in favor. Simpson : About one-fourth the iarmers have flocks, numbering from 10 
to 20 head, for home use. Trimble: A flock of 60 Cotswolds was kept for $111, and the 
returns were $442, leaving a clear gain of $331. This county is very well adapted to 
sheep-raising. The laud is cheap, and the sheep require but little winter feed. 

MissouKi. — Bates: I have been in consultation with some of our largest sheep- 
growers, and all acknowledge that there is no more profitable business connected with 
fanning. The cost of keeping Avill not exceed 65 cents per head. Benton : Splendid 
county for sheep, but not extensively carried on, as it is not generally well enough 
understood. Cass : Eight years ago I bought eight ewes, and from them have raised 
about 200. Have had less attention than any other stock on the farm, and I think 
sheep-growing could be made profital)le in this jiart of the county. Crawford: Have 
been more or less over eight States, and believe this is the liest and most profitable 
place to raise sheep that I have ever seen. The surface is rolling, making it dry 
and healthy fov sheep, with streams ami running brooks. Little done to improve 
breeds, or for their care in winter. Many lambs are lost, but dogs are our worst ene- 
mies. Tame gi'asses are easily raised. Holt : Increased about 30 per cent, since 1876. 
Jefferson : More are lost by keeping a ram of the same kind too long ; they degenerate. 
Laclede: From my experience I nnist say that this is the best sheep country lever 
saw. Sheep do well with scarcely any attention. Every farmer has enough for his 
own use. Lawrence: "Very much neglected on account of heavy losses. Mississippi: 
Have found sheep more profitaVde than anything else in proportion to capital invested. 
Stoddard : Sheep do extremely well here, as they always have access to the gi'onnds. 
We have only the coarse breeds. De Kalb : Good sheep of every breed can be found 
in this county — Meri noes for wool, coarsi'-wooled for fattening. Many coarse-wooled 
are purchased in the fall from New Mexico and Colorado for fattening. 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY U THE SOUTH. 

PREPAKED AT THE BBQTjEST OF HON. ALE:5tAlsrDER H, STEPHE>JS, OF GEORGIA 

AND OTHERS. 

BY 

JOHK L. HAYES, 

SECRETAUY OF THE JfATlONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOOL MANUEACTURERS. 



Eevristed fkom the BcllEtis of the National Associatios oi' Wool Ma>:ufactureus. 



CONTENTS. 



Pa^e. 

Letter of Hou. Alexander H. Stepliens, General J. B. Gordon, and others 65 

TYPICAL 80UTHERX STATES. 

Climate '... 68 

Health of slieej) at the Sonth 68 

Ettect of climate on the wool-prodncing qualities of sheep 68 

The culture of electoral sheep recommended 71 

Resources in the South for the nutrition of sheej) 73 

The grasses — Bermuda, &c ". 73 

Forage plants — Alfalfa, i)ea8e, turnips, &c 75 

Present condition of Southern sheep hushandry 77 

The course reconunended for the South 80 

Slieep for mixed husbandry 82 

The culture of long-wooled sheep and other lanigerous animals 87 

Kentucky sheep 88 

The Angora goat 92 

TEXAS. 

Statements of Mr. Shaetfer 99 

Advice to emigrants 105 

Obstacles to slieep-growing in Texas 106 

Numlier of sheep in Southern States 107 

Number of sheep in Northern and Western States 107 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 

Relations of wool production to customs diaties 108 

Adjustment of duties on mainifactures to duties on wool 109 

American mills the only market for domestic wool 109 

Wool-growers' associations 109 

Sheep husbandry by the colored population Ill 

Question of overproduction of wool 112 

APPENDIX. 

Letter of General John A. Young, of North Carolina 115 

Letter of Col. J. Wash Watts, of South Carolina 118 

Letter of Col. Richard Peters, of Georgia 120 

Letter of Charles N. Jenks, of Texas 122 

Extract from forthcoming report of the commissioner of agriculture of Tennes- 
see 122 

Additional facts bearing upon the culture of electoral wools in the South 124 

Sheep husbandry in connection with the culture of tobacco 125 

Recent notes on the Anj-'ora sioat 126 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 



The api^reciative request by whioli the writer of this paper has been 
honored* has only hastened the execution of a work which he has for a, 
long time oontemphited, and is but a continuation of an inquiry as t(t 
our national wool resources already pursued in regard to the Pacific and 
trans-Missouri sections of the country. In preparing an article on wool- 
growing in the last-named region, we had to meet, at the outset, the 
objection that the encouragement of wool-production on the cheap- 
grazing lands in the far West involves the abandonment of sheep hns- 



*Washington, D. C, December 10, 1877. 
Sir : Tn the numbers of the Bulletin, published as the oro-an of your association, for 
December, 1876, and September, 1877, appear two articles from your pen, entitled 
"The Part of the Wool Industry in our National Economy," and " Wool Productioii, 
and Sheep Husbandry." 

The interest called forth in ns by the pei'usal of these pai)ers has T)een deepened by 
the readiufi' of the Report upon Wool and Wool Fabrics, made by you as one of ihe 
group of judges in the late International Exposition, which you were officially re- 
quested to pre])are. 

While very much has been written upon this question relative to the advantages of 
the North, the West, and the Pacific slope, we feel that the special inducements of 
" the South" have not been recently i)resented by any influential aiithoritj', like that 
you represent. 

As the objects of your association are national in their eliaracter, we believe the 
proposition will meet your approval, if we suggest that you prepare a paper ujiok 
" Sheep Husbandry and Wool Production in the South," for publication in your jour- 
nal, and also for general distribution. 

Being residents of, and therefore specially interested in, that section of the country, 
we believe that an authoritative setting forth of the great advantages it presents for 
this industry, by your association, will give a great impidse to all interests there : 
while it will also be of much aid and value to the reader and capitalist from any 
quarter. 

In the hope you may be induced to render the service we desire, and assuring you oi' 
any aid we may be able to give you in furtherance of that result, we are very truly 
yours, &c., 

ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS, M. C, of Georgia. 

J. B. GORDON, II. S. S. 

BEN.I. H. HILL, U. S. S. 

JOHN T. MORGAN, U. S. S. 

M. W. RANSOM, U. S. S. 

JOHN W. JOHNSTON, U. S. S. 

RICHARD COKE, U. S. S. 

L. Q. C. LAMAR, IT. S. S. 

WADE HAMPTON, Governor of South Carolina. 

I have not had the pleasure of reading the articles referred to ; but, as Texas is 
most largely interested in wool-growing, I trust the articles suggested will be pre- 
pared. 

S. B. MAXEY, U. S. S. 

With great interest in the subject, aiul beg to add my signature. 

T. F. BAYARD, II.' S. S. 
R. L. GIBSON, M. C, of Louisiana. 

I join in the above. Wool-growing is one of the leading interests of my district — 
Western Texas. 

G. SCHLEICHER. M. C. 

JoHX L. Hayes, Esq., 

iSecrefanj of the National Association of Wool Mannfactitnra, Boston, Mass. 
S. E." 25 5 



66 SHEEP- HUSBANDRY. 

bandry in tlie older States of tlie North and East; and tLat wliat the far 
West gains, Vermont and Oliio would lose. This objection, we said, if 
it were true, is a local, not a national, one. 

The aim of a national industrial system is the Avealth, grandeur, and independence 
of the nation as a whole; and of the comfort, elevation, and well-com]iensate(l labor 
of the American people as a whole. Above all things it abhors monopolies of indi\ id- 
nals, States, or sections. It does not favor the exclusive occupation of the cotton 
uiannfactnre by Massachusetts or Rhode Island, but would plant it also by the, 
side of the cotton-tields in Georgia and Mississipj)!. It would light furnace tires 
iu Michigan, Ohio, and Alabama, as well as in Pennsylvania. Statesmanship 
would have our national industrial system advance iu its march like one of our 
grand nati<mal railroads; which must not stop for fear that the town 'v\hich has 
sprung u]) on its route may be eclii»sed by another, and yet another, which sj)riugs up 
as it advances. It must march on until it spans the continent; although, when it 
reaches its western verge, San Francisco may be conipeHitid to divide her trade with 
Chicago. To say that the prodiu;tion of the new State will compete with that of the 
old, and that new industries will vie with those long established, is to state the prin- 
cipal object of the national system. Domestic competition, with its accruing chea])- 
ness, excellence, and abunda-Jice of protection, neutralizes the apparent taxation im- 
posed under the protective systiiin. Domestic competition, gradual, equable, a;id 
healthful — and not, like foreign com]ietition, spasmodic, irregular, and incapable of 
being guarded against, and hence disastrous — lifts the industries from their old nils. 
Introduces economies, labor-saving machines and processes, compels a constant watch- 
fulness for the pojjular tastes and necessities, and an incessant activity for superior 
cheapness or excellence, and thus couverts protection from a tax to a boon. It is only 
when the nation blushes to own each new star which she adds to her banner, that she 
•will regret the competition in industry which each new State makes with the old. 

As then at the East writing of the far West, so now at the East writ- 
ing of the South, we pursue the subject in the interest of the nalional 
wool industry, and not ol a section. Still, while free from sectional 
predilections, we cannot divest ourselves of sympathy for a people 
emerging from tlie overthrow of a cherished social system, and strug- 
gling for the higher and broader industrial life to which recent events 
have forced them ; and cannot but take jdeasure in pointing out some 
of the means which offer for settling their waste and restoring their 
impoverished lands, for employing their labor and diversifying' their 
industries. 

Although sheep were early introduced into Georgia, and flourished to 
such a degree, during the colonial period, that theii' wool was commendtMl 
by British travelers to the P^nglish clothiers as "equal to the Spanish, 
and superior to that grown in England " ; although General Washington 
introduced the New Leicesters at Mount Vernon, the influence of whose 
progeny is still seen in the excellent nmtton of that section of Virginia, 
and, further, so inspired Colonel Humphreys, who resided for a time at 
Mount Vernon, with a love of sheep, tliat he subsequently, while minister 
to Spain, became the introducer of the Meriiui to this country ; and although 
Mr. Jefl'erson sent the progeny of the Merinos presented to him, by Mv. 
Jarvis, to the counties adjoining Monticello, as the choicest boon he could 
ofter to the agriculture of Virginia, the breeding of sheep fell at length 
into general disrepute at the South, as is evinced by the contemptuous 
remark attributed to the statesnuin of Roanoke. This ])reiudice, accord- 
ing to Colonel Skinner, was nourished by the jiopnlar essays of "Arator," 
the celebrated Col. John Taylor. It was nu) re probably due to a jeal- 
ousy of any product which might vie with the exclusive monopoly of 
cotton, to which sectional ])ride gave a regal title. At all events, sheej) 
husbandry became generally unpopular throughout the South — except, 
near the great cities, for a sup])ly of nuitton and lambs — and was sup- 
posed to be attended with difllcul'ies i)eculiar to the southern climate 
and soil. This remark does not apply to Western A^irginia, whcrii 
Merino-sheep husbandry has been pursued since the first importation of 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 67 

the race, with a success nnsnrpassed in any Northern States ; nor to 
Texas, where the pursuit was attaining a great iini)ortance until checked 
by the war ; neitlier to a hniited number of individuals, like Mr. Cock- 
rell, of Tennessee, Mv. Peters, of Georgia, and Colonel Watts, of Soutli 
Carolina, who have exhibited unusual energy and intelligence in the 
pursuit. Keither is it to be supposed that the number of sheep was by 
any means inconsiderable, for there were upwards of six hundred thou- 
sand sheep in the five most southerly States in 1839, but the sheep were 
poor in quality and but little cared for. 

The first systematic attempt to remove this prejudice was made about 
1847, by Hon. Henry S. Kandall, LL. D., since so celebrated as the 
author ot the " Practical Shepherd," who published in the Farmer's Li- 
brary, at the request of Col. J. S. Skinner, a series of letters addressed 
to Col. E, F. AUston, of South Carolina, on sheep husbandry in the 
South. These letters were collected and published in a separate book, 
in 18(50, by Orange Judd & Co., of New York. This work, by so high 
an authority and a writer so acconq^lished, makes us hesitate to under- 
take our task. It seems presumptuous to attempt to glean from a field 
which has been so thoroughly reaped and garnered. But as the prece- 
dence of Dr. Randall, and the short space to which our pages limit us, 
reduce our work to scarcely more than one of annotation and condensa 
tion, we have less diffidence in attempting it, especially since we shall 
be at least the means of introducing some fresh and original matter from 
high authorities on sheep-breeding at the South. 

That a new field for slieep husbandry is about to be opened at the 
South, is shown less by what has been as yet accomplished, than by a 
complete change in popular oi)inion in that section as to the desirability 
of extending this industry within its borders. No stronger evidence of 
that change could be presented than the request of so many distin- 
guished statesmen of the South that the claims of Southern sheep hus- 
bandry should receive the special consideration of the National Associ- 
ation of Wool Manufacturers. Personal interviews with many of these 
gentlemen have assured us that it is their earnest conviction that no 
industry at present otters for their section such advantages in return for 
capital invested, and general improvement of the country in question, as 
sheep husbaiulry. As other indications of the change in popular opinion, 
we may state that the commissioner of agriculture of the State of 
Georgia, holding an office recently created, presented, as his first official 
document, a report on the sheep husbandry of the State ; and that the 
State Agricultural Association of Georgia has recently addressed a 
memorial to Congress, protesting against any reduction of the existing 
duties protective of the wool production of the country — the first in- 
stance, it is said, of similar action in the history of the State. The 
question whether the prevailing popular opinion at the South in relation 
to the advantages of wool production of and sheep husbandry in, that 
section is well founded, is the direct object of our inquiry. 

Tliis question is one of comjiarison. If sheep husbandry may be 
pursued more cheaply, and as advantageously in other respects, at the 
South, as in the present i)rincii)al seats of the industry, it is merely a 
question of time, or of the diffusion of knowledge, when the fields of the 
South will compete with the fiock pastures of the North and West; or, 
rather, when capital and animals will be transferred from their jjreseut 
seats to others at the South, where wool production is cheaper and more 
advantageous. The comparison must be first made in respect to only 
one branch of sheep husbandry, that of the pastoral or Merino sheep 
husbandry — that designed for wool i^roduction chiefiy ; mutton-sheep 



68 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



husbandry being subject to different conditions, wbicli must be consid- 
ered separately. 

Climate. — The most imjiortant relation of the climate of the I^orth to 
sheep-growing is exhibited by the following table, drawn from the re- 
ports of tlie Department of Agriculture, exhibiting the immber of months 
of full and partial feeding in the States named, made necessary by the 
severity of the climate : 



states. 




Niiniber of months 
of partial feed- 
ing. 



Maine 

New Hampshire 

Vermont 

New York 

Pennsylvania . . . 
■Ohio.". 



A much greater range in the requirements for winter feeding is found 
at the South. The months for full feeding in Virginia are set down at 
four, and for partial feeding at two. The time diminishes in both re- 
spects as we go South, until in Southern Georgia full feeding is required 
only during occasional storms, and j^artial feeding from two to three 
months. 

The next point of inquiry is the relation of climate to the health and 
wool-producing capacity of the sheep. The effect of the climate of the 
North in these respects is admitted to be favorable. 

Health of sheep at the South. — Dr. Eandall has given this branch of 
the subject minute attention. After enumerating the many thousand 
sheep existing in 1839 in districts of the extreme South, on the borders 
of the Okefenokee Swamp and the borders of the Gulf, and even the 
delta of the Mississippi, he says: 

No portion of tlie United States is lower, hotter, or more uiiliealtliy tlian much of 
the preceding; and none, according to commonly-received notions, wonld be more nn- 
siiited to the healthy production of sheep. Yet that they are healthy in these sitna- 
tions is a matter of perfect notoriety to all conversant witli the facts. So far as health 
is concerned, then, we are assuredly authorized to assume the position that no portion 
. of the United States is too warm for sheep. 

Effect of climate on the wool-j>rodiicing qualities of the animal. — Upon 
this point, Dr. Randall thus sums up his conclusions : 

My convictions are decided, and the facts reported appear to fully sustain them, 
that warmth of temperature, at least to a point equaling the highest mean tempera- 
ture in. the United States, is not injurious, but absolutely conducive, to the i)roductiou 
of wool. The cause's of this are involved in no mystery. Warm climates afford green 
and succulent herbage during a greater portion of the year than cold ones. Sheep 
}dentifully supplied with green lierbage keep in a higher condition than when con- 
iined to that which is dry. High condition promotes those secretions which form 
wool. • Every one at all conversant with sheep well knows that, if kept Heshy all the 
year round, they produce far more wool than if kept poor. A half a ])ound difference 
per head is readily made in this way. Within the niaxinuim and mininuim of the 
product of a slieep or a tlock, the ratio of production always coincides with that con- 
dition. 

Some other facts, not refei-red to by the author, illustrative of the ben- 
eficial intiuence of warm clinuttes upon the Merino-sheep husbandry, 
which we have now specially in view, may be here stated. M. Moll, 
the distinguished scientific reporter on wool at the Paris Exposition of 
1807, says : " We observe that it is the vine and nuilberry which best 
suits the ovine species in geiu^ral, and the fine-wooled races in i)artic- 
ular." It need not be remarked that the more southerly States emphat- 



SHEEP- HUSBANDRY. 69 

ically belong to the vine-bearing- zone. The great Merino wool-clip of 
the world is prodnced in even warmer latitudes. The Argentine Re- 
public, standing second in tlie world in the snpi)ly of the wools of com- 
merce — having 57,501, 2G0 sheep, producing 210,000,000 pounds — has a 
climate where the cold of winter is so nuxlerate as to ])roduce no more 
severe ettects than slight hoar-frosts, which disappear with the morning's 
sun. Its wools, chielly Merino, are fine and soft ; having, as their prin- 
cipal defect, the burr clinging to the fleece, derived from the white medoc 
or clover, on which the sheep feed, unfortunately in that country insep- 
arably connected with the productive lands and best pasturage. The 
most ])roductive Merino-wool regions in Europe are the southern prov- 
inces of the Russian Empire, where the climate is so mild that the sheep 
require shelter and fodder only about six weeks in winter. Single flocks 
in that country reach to fifty, se\^enty-five, a hundred thousand, and 
even four hundred thousand head. Specimens of Merino wools from this 
region, shown at the Centennial Exliibition, in fineness and extreme 
length of staple surpassed any exhibited. Mr. Graham, author of the 
most accepted hand-book of the sheep husbandry of Australia, asserts 
that— 

The " Salt-bush" fotiiitry in New South Wah^s, n region of excessive heat, can and 
does in some instances produce as heavy and vahiabh-- wool as do any other })ortions of 
the Australian colonies. It was the received (lidiim, in 1845, that the climate of tin- 
Darling Downs, within the tropics, was too hot for the growth of wool. The superin- 
tendent of the Clyde Company thought otherwise, and adopted a careful and judicious 
system of selection. In eight or nine years, the Darling Downs iiroduced as good wool 
aa any grovyu in Australia, although it still bore the name of hot-country ivoot. 

To the Northern farmer, accustomed to see his shee]) and cattle suffer- 
ing and refusing nourishment during i^eriods of excessive heat in the 
]Srorthern summers, it may seem inconceivable that sheep should not b« 
unfavorably affected bj^ the hot summers of tlie South. But it should 
be remembered that the summer heat of the Soutli is tempered by the 
breezes blowing from the Gulf; and that at Xew York, in midsummer, 
the days are very nearly one hour longer than at Savannah, and the 
nights correspondingly shorter ; consequently, at Kew York there is one 
hour longer for the heat to accumulate from the direct rays of the sun, 
and one hour less time in the night for the accuuuilated heat to be carried 
off by radiation. From these two causes, the summer heat is never so 
excessive in southern as in northern latij:udes. 

But it is asserted that warmth of cliniate, while promoting the quantity 
of wool produced, enlarges the fiber, making the wool coarser. This was 
the oi)inion of Dr. Eandall, and is still generally ado])ted. lie says: 
"Tliere can be but little doubt tliat the pelage of the sheep becomes finer 
in cold climates, and coarser in warm ones." He sees the causes of this 
phenomenon in tlie greater amount andquality of the nutriment I'eceived 
by the animal in Avarm climates, which maintain in greater activity those 
secretions which form wool, and that increase the quantity aiul weight 
of the fleece. The weight, he thinks, is increased b^' increasing the 
length and thickness of the separate fibers ; just as plants j)ut forth longer 
and thicker stems on rich soils than poor ones. 

The pO[)ular bi'lief that wool becomes coarser in warm cliniates is 
strengthened by the admitted fact that sheep originally covered with 
hair and an undergrowth of wool, when introduced into very hot climates 
within the tropics in time become covered with hair alone; the wool, as is 
supposed, being converted into hair. This supposition is not correct. 
The wool part of the fleece is not changed ; it is lost. Mr. George W. 
Bond, an eminent exj^ert in wool, has recently exhibited to a scientific 



70 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

society skins of Arabian sheep, some of tliem covered with hair alone, 
and others having" simiUir hau% bnt witli a thick nudergrowth of wool. 
The fiber of the wool i)roved by test to be eqnal to that of the very finest 
Saxony wool. The fiber of th(5 wool proper, then, is not changed or en- 
larged by climate. 

Bnt tliis qnestion, it would seem, has been finally i)nt at rest by the 
carefully conducted experiments of Professor Sanson, the most eminent 
zootechnist in France, i^ublished in the Comptes rendus of the French 
Academy — such a publication by that body being in itself a sufticient 
indorsement of Professor Sanson's scientific authority. The importance 
of the observations justifies us in giving at length a large part of Pro- 
fessor Sanson's note to his table of experiments, given by him in detail. 
His researches were made upon twenty specimens of wool. The animals 
from which the wool-fibers examined were derived he calls "precocious" 
Merinoes ; that is, aninmls so bred and highly led as to produce the ut- 
most weight of fleece and flesh; the race having, besides, the cpiality of 
maturing early. He says : 

It i.s goncrally admitted, from reasoning a priori, that the rapidity of growtli in pre- 
cocious Merinoes, due to the abundance and special qualities of nourishment, cannot 
fail to incicase the size of the hairs of the same wool. I have proposed to determine 
scientitically the truth of this induction. 

After stating his exjieriments and manner of conducting them, he con- 
siders certain propositions demonstrated, among which are the following : 

1. The precocious develoj)ment of Merino sheep, having the elfect to carry their 
aptitude^ to produce flesh to the highest degree that sheep can attain, exercises no in- 
fluence on the tineness of their avooI. Tliis preserves the diameter which it would 
have had it developed in normal conditions, for the reason that this diameter depends 
upon the individual and hereditary aptitudes. 

2. The iutluence exercised by the jirecocious development upon the hair of the wool 
exhibits itself by an augmentation of the length of the same hair; its growth, result- 
ing from the formatiou of epidermic cellules in tiie hair-T)ulb, being more active. 
Tliere is, therefore, more Avoolly substance produced in the same time. 

3. The precocious development does not vary the number of hair or wool bulbs ex- 
isting for a determinate extent of the surface of the skin. It produces, therefore, no 
change in what is vulgarly called the tasse (density of staple). The moditications 
which the staple of wool presents in this repect are only apparent. By increasing the 
length of the hairs the precocity necessarily increases that of the locks of wool which 
they form, which makes the fleece appear less dense. 

The views here i>resented, we admit, would not be accepted l>y the 
majority of our breeders. But all will admit that any tendency of warm 
climates (if such exists) to make wool coarser can be easily counteracted 
by judicious breeding. 

In connection with the question of theeflect of climate on the fineness 
of wool fiber, we may appropriately quote a breeder of great reputation 
in Tennessee, but wliose flocks were in Mississippi. His statement is 
old, but the moi'e valuable since the culture of fine Saxon sheep has now 
almost wholly ceased in this country. Mr. Mark E. Cockerill, in a letter 
published in the American Farmer, says: 

I have about 1,000 head of fine sbeej). * * * jMy Saxon sheep were imported in 
18'24or IS'iH — I can not say which — and I find as yet no falling oft' in the quantity or (qual- 
ity of their fleeces; on the contrary. I believe a little imj)rovement in both iioints, and 
H litth^ more yolk when well provided for; whicli you know does not niucli abound in 
the Saxf)n breed. In addition, tlie fleeces are a. litth^ nior<^ com])a(t than formerly, 
hence more weight ; and from our mild climate the sta])le has become longer. I asser 
that the cottcui region I am now in (Madison County, Mississippi), in about 32° north, 
18 better than any country north of it to grow wool, as the sheep can be kept all the 
time grazing, by sowing snaall grain ; for, if grazed oft", it quickly grows again in a 
few days. 7\ud the wool of the fine Saxon sheep in this climatti is softer and uu)re 
cotton-like that any I have ever seen, althougli I have samples from all jtarts of the 
world. I have traveled from this very place to Boston, sampling all the sheep of note 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 71 

on tho way, iind I have foniiil uotliiiii;- on my journey or at Boston as ^^oofl as tlio wool 
I have <jro\vn; and so said all the wool-staplers whom I met with, and they were not 
a tew. I presume, in reality, that the hlood of my sheep was no better than many I 
saw ; hi(t the niiperioritu of mif wool I awnbc to our climate, and the provision for the sheep 
of .succulent food the year round. 

Hrtviug- examined the ^'(^h^Ille of awards of tlie Exhibition at London 
of 1851, coinmoidy called the Woild\s Fair, we tind that the reports of 
the Juries rec()<;nize tlie fxerinan wools as the finest and longest. Two 
I)rize medals of the same grade given to the German exhibitors were 
awarded to exhibitors from the United States. The awards are arranged 
in the order of merit. The first is given to Mr. Cockerill. It says : • 
'' Tlie wool transmitted by the exhibitor from Nashville is well got up 
and exhibits, like the preceding specimens (the (ierman), a quality of 
liber indicative of care and skill in the develo]nnent and improvement 
of the rieece, which calls for the award of the i)rize medal." The repor 
further says : "One of the able experts, whose valuable aid the jury 
have already acknowledged, reports, 'Those shown by America (United 
States) as most approximating to the character of German wools.'" 

Mr. Howard, of Kingston, Georgia, writing to the Department of Ag- 
ricidture, in 1874, says : 

It is objected that wool degenerates in warm cliiuates, and becomes coarse and val- 
neless. This is an error. The writer, whose, flock is of the Cockerill Merinoe:., which 
took the premium at the World's Fair in London, many years ago, the sheei» being 
reared in Mississippi, after this lapse of time is now ready to compete with any wool 
in the United States in fineness of staple. 

The quality of extreme fineness in wool is much less regarded now 
than formerly, on account of the changes in fashion of fabri(;s. The 
great bulk of wools at present consumed is of medium grades. Length 
of stai)le, however, has become a very desirable attribute, on account of 
the increased demand throughout the world for wools for combing pur- 
poses, which enter into worsted coatings and a great variety of dress 
goo<ls. This quality of length of fiber, it is seen, is greatly favored by 
the propitious climate of the South. As our manufacturers advance to 
the in-oduction of the higher qualities of dress goods, such as the French 
merinos and the very finest grades of worsted coatings, Avhich are now 
coming into demand, fineness no less than length of staple would be 
demanded for merino combing wools; and, for both of these qualities, 
it is shown that the climate of the South is favorable. 

Cidtuye of electoral wools recommended. — There is likely to be no more 
ap])ropriate place than in this connection to speak of a class of wools 
whose culture has almost cetised in this country, and has greatly de- 
clined throughout the world. We refer to the exceedingly fine electoral 
wools, such as were formerly produced by the old Saxon sheep, and at 
])resent by the Silesian sheep of the same or a very similar race. They 
are still cultivated, to a limited extent, in Silesia, Hungary, and Poland, 
which countries produce all the superfine wools used in Europe. The 
few wools of this class used here are im[)orted from these countries, at 
enormous prices. Fashion, invariably revolving in great cycles, always 
repeats herself in time. Superfine broa(lch)ths, and other tissues de- 
mtinding the finest fiber, will again be in vogue. The electoral avooIs 
Avill secure prices, as they have never yet done, proportionate to their 
high cost of production. On account of the delicacy of the aninmls pro- 
ducing them, these wools caniu)t be successfully grown at the Xorth; as 
we know ])ersonally from observation on the paternal farm in Maine, 
where their culture was formerly attempted with the utmost energy, but 
■with such poor results as to cause its abandonment. In the mild 
climate of the South theii- successful culture is assured beyond all ques- 



72 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

tion. This is proved by the letter last quoted. Mr. Watts, of South 
Carolina, in his communication elsewhere given at length, says : 

I have uow oii ]ny table a Silesiau wool measiiriug, say, 1,800 hairs to the inch, which 
cost the consumer here $1.50 in gold per pound. With none of the ridiculously ex- 
treme care wliich the European growers of the electoral wool exercise in their flocks, 
Mark Cockerill, of Tennessee (near Nashville), has raised Saxony wools of a fineness of 
52,000 hairs to the inch, and could sidl it at a handsome profit at |l per pound. In fact, 
Mr. Cockerill claims that there is more margin of profit in it than in the growth of 
more ordinary wool. 

These wools are designated in Germany as nohle wools. Their suc- 
cessful culture was deemed a fit employment for noblemen of high birth; 
and the princes of Hungary, we are informed, now tlu; principal growers 
there, continue the production from motives of pride. Two Hungarian 
princes competed with each other on exhibits of )ifOhle wools at our Cen- 
tennial Exhibition. Tlie patrician element of the South would be not 
uncongenial to a similar industrial competition. 

Asking pardon of our readers for this digression, we proceed to con- 
sider other important conditions of successful sheep husbandry. 

Resources for the nutrition of slieep. — The next point of inquiry is as to 
the resources, natural or artificial, for the nutrition of sheep in the South. 
This involves not only further consideration as to climate, but also the 
influences of physical geography, soil, and hygroscopic conditions. As 
it would be impossible, in our limited space, to consider these conditions 
in each of the Southern States, we will select a typical district, sucli a.s 
that composed by the States of Georgia and North and South Carolina. 
The physical geography in this district is very distinctly marked, and is 
illustrated by the natural divisions in Georgia known as Lower, Middle, 
and Upper Georgia, or Ioav country, hill country, and mountain country ; 
the characteristic features of these divisions extending through North 
Carolina to Virginia. Thelower division, sometimes called the tide-water 
zone, consists, in Georgia, of a belt of country, with an area of about 
.')5,000 square miles, nuicli rising as high as 300 feet above the ocean. 
<Teologically, it consists of the three divisions. Eocene, Miocene, and 
Pliocene of the Tertiary period. The soils on the dry lands are gen- 
erally light, and sometimes too sterile to admit of profitable cultivation ; 
that of the swamps and river bottoms is often exceedingly fertile. This 
is the land of the long-leaved or famous Georgia pine, and wire grass. 
Tlie middle region commences at the head of iiavigation of the rivers, 
the line of junction of the two regions forming the line upon which the 
great interior cities are situated. The nnddle, or hill country, having 
an area of about 15,000 square miles, rises, first, into gentle hills, and 
finally, as it approaches the mountaius, into high and often broken 
elevations. The geological formation underlying this country con- 
sists of the primary and metamorphic rocks, and the soil in its nat- 
ural state is generally fertile. In this division is conq)rised what was 
formerly regarded as the el dorado cotton country of the State. The 
mountain country above this, with an area of about 10,000 square miles, 
is formed by tlie diiferent chains of the great Appala<;hian Range. For 
further details as to a portion of this district, North Carolina, the reader 
is referred to the valuable papc^i- of our correspondent, General John A. 
Young, i)ublished in the appendix. 

With the indications as to natural soils given in the above sketch, in 
orde" to determine the resources of the country in <iuestion for sui)ply- 
ing i)asturage and forage for sheep, we must consider certain atmosi)lieri<'. 
conditions, which a])i)ly not only to the imnuMliate sections under con- 
sideration, but to the whole of the vast country lying south of the thirty- 
fifth parallel, and between the Atlantic and the meridian of San Antonio, 



SHEEr-HUSBANDRY. 73 

Texas, Avhicli is j9«r excellence tlie cotton belt of America. The remarks 
of Mr. Walter Wells, in liis admirable ])aper on cotton cnltnre in the 
United States, and on the influence which the rainfall has on this cul- 
ture, are very instructive in this connection : 

The cotton plant, in its ])in'io(l of growth, reijuires abundant rain ; its succuh-nt 
foliage, if (Inly supplied with moisture, a])i>earing fresh under a sun that shrinks the 
leaves of a majority of other crojis. In tlie eotton-growing district surrounding the 
Gulf of Mexico, the fall of rain is so profuse through the midsummer as to suggest very 
distinctly the temporary estalilishment of true tropical conditions — the lapping over 
t»f torri«l-Z(MU' rains upon this ])ortion of the temiierate zone while the sun is at its, 
northernmost declination. As the sun retires, the trojjical conditions give way ; the 
comparatively dry. serene, and temperate autunni of the mid-latitudes succeeds, se- 
curing most fav<uable conditiiuis for the maturing and gathering of the cotton harvest. 

The cotton plant seems to he, in a peculiar nniuner, dependcmt npon the latoit or 
hi/gfoscopic moisture of the atuiosphcre for the perfect development of its peculiar 
])roduct. It loves the iuthnuices of the sea. The great volumes of vayior raise<l from 
That inuiiense evaporating caldron, the Gulf of Mexico, drawn inland by the draught 
of summer heat, not only supply to all the surrounding country profuse rain, with 
numerous, and at certain seasons almost daily, showers, but innnerse all vegetation in 
an atmosphere charged to rejiletitm with li(|uid and bland solution ; hence the long. 
Irailiug, moisture-loving mosses of the Southern forests, and hence a vigor of the cot- 
ton plant and softness of its staple elsewherfi hardly paralleled. 

It need not be said tliat the influences Avhich affect the cotton plant so 
favorably nnist have an equally beneficial effect upon the plants reqiiired 
for the pastura,iie and forage of sliec]), i)rovided they are adapted to the 
climate ; especially upon the grasses, grass of all vegetation being soon- 
♦'st affected l)y drought on the one hand, and an overabundancte of rain 
on the other. "It is," says a recent writer on British sheep-fanning, 
•• the legularly distributed rain — the fine ^A'eekly or biweekly showers — 
that the grazier can alone build upon for success in raising wool and 
mutton." The vevy existence of the American cotton belt proves at 
least that within it no such droughts can prevail as compel the trans- 
humance of the Merinoes of Spain and Upper California, and in Lower 
California destroyed during the last year milUons of sheep. 

The (ira.stics. — In a country where cotton was, until very recently, 
looked to as the onl3^ market crop, and grass as the deadliest enemy of 
<;ottoii, and where but few animals were required for labor, it could not 
l>e suj)pose(l that there should exist the rich, thick-swarded pastures or 
meadows of many portions of the jSTorth, But grass culture is now at- 
tracting large attention at the South, and, hai^pily, from persons of 
scien(;e and practical knowledge. Conspicuous among them Avas Mr. C. 
AV. Howard, recently deceased, whose extremely well- written manual on 
the cultivation of grasses and forage plants at the South is the principal 
source of the notes which follow. Mr. IIoAvard, speaking generally but 
carefully, says, that, after an observation of more than twenty years, he 
does "not hesitate to say, if ground be made sufficiently rich and as 
Avell prejiared ; that if judgment be exercised in sowing, and in adapta- 
tion of species to particular localities, and i)roper subsequent manage- 
ment be observed, that, so far as soil and climate are concerned, the 
South has unusual fitness for the successful cultis'ation of the valuable 
grasses." 

While admitting that there are portions of the South (as is the case 
in all countries) where the grasses will not grow, he declares unhesitat- 
ingly, "There is nothing in the elimate of tlie South to prevent the suc- 
cessful growth of the valuable grasses." Omitting all that he says upon 
the culture of grasses for hay — as the winter grazing at the South is a 
substitute, except in exceptional periods, for this indispensable fodder 
for sheep at the North — we will condense his observations upon the 
grasses for pasturage. 



74 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

One of the most marked advantages of the South is the ability to 
grow grasses which may be pastured in winter. Thus the cost of cut- 
ting the grass, and saving the-liire of barn for storing it, and the cost of 
feeding it out, are dis])ensed with ; while su(?culent food, which, at the 
North, must be i)rovided for by storing roots and vegetables, is afforded 
throughout the year. By the aid of winter grasses, it is perfectly prac- 
ticable, throughout a large portion of the South, to raise sheep without 
other cost than the interest on land and the value of the salt. Oats, 
barley, and rye, sown in the fall, may be grazed during the winter with- 
out injury to the crop of grain, as is frecpiently done; but they nuistbe 
sown annually, and are inferior to jiermanent grass pastures. The 
meadow oat, orchard and blue grass, with wild rye or Tyrrell grass, are 
chiefly i-elied upon for permanent winter-grass pasture. 

Sirring pasturage is afforded by the broom sedge ; and the summer 
pasture, l»y the native crab grass — an annual peculiar to the South, 
which springs up evei-ywhere at the South in the stubble where small 
grains had been harvested, making a sumnu^r pasture which cannot be 
surpassed. Very sensible farmers at the South have estinuited the crab- 
grass pastures of a fair season, on stubble land, as being nearly equal 
in value to the preceding small-grain crop. "The Northern farmer," as 
Mr. Howard observes, "has nothing to correspond with our crab-grass. 
His stock are eating, without appetite or relisli, in August and Septem- 
ber, the old grass of the spring; Avhile our stock are luxuriating on the 
fresh bite of the newly sprung crab-grass." Mr. Howard does not men- 
tion the Japan clover {Lespedizea striata). This exotic, as we learn 
from reports to the Be])artment of Agriculture, is rapidly taking pos- 
session of uncultivated places in S<mth Carolina, and even in Tennessee. 
It is highly relished by sheep, and, although short, furnishes a good 
pasture from May till frost. 

The grass, however, ^j^r exceUence for summer pastures at the South, 
is the Bernuula grass,* and would seem to surpass any known at the 
North. This species, chiefly found at ])resent in Middle Georgia, though 
abundant in Louisiana, was introduced from the West Indies, and is be- 
lieved to be identical with the celebrated dauh^ or sacred grass, of East 
India. Being stoloniferous in its habit, it clings so closely to the soil 
that it is eradicated with great ditflculty ; and, rapidly propagating itself 
by means of its runners, it was regarded as the worst pest of the cotton- 
plantation. "Fighting General Green" became a proverb which ilius- 

* This graiss is Ivnowu in ludi.i by the various names of dunh, (luoh,(hiihh(i, or (hirva. 
Sir William Joues, in his liotauical Observations of Sulect Iiuliau Phiiits, published 
in Asiatic Researches, vol. iv, p, 5*20, speaks thus of the darhha or daiih grass: "Every 
law-book and almost every poem in Sanscrit contains frequent allusions to the holiness 
of this plant; and, in the fouith Veda, we have the following address to it, at the 
close of a terrible iucaiitatiou: 'Thee, O Darbba! the learned jjroiiounce a divinity, 
not subject to age or death ; Thee they call the armor of India, the preserver of regions, 
the destroyer of enemies, a giver that gives increase to the tield. At the time when 
the ocean resounded, when the clouds murnmred and lightnings Hashed, then was 
Darbba produced, pure as a drop of gold.'" 

Capt. David Richardson, in the sevcntli volume of the Asiatic Researches, says 
of this grass, which lie calls " doob grass": "This is probably one of the most useful 
and beautiful grasses in this or any other country; and, like tlie cow whicli feeds on 
it, is held in high religious veneration by many tribes of Hindoos. A natural velvet 
carpet, if the ex]iiessiou be aduussible hen', may at any time be formed of this elegant 
grass, in the spac<' of two or three ^\•eeks, merely by cutting it in ])icccs and sprinkling 
them on prepared ground mixed with earth. In this way, the beautj' of rivers, ]»ub- 
lic roails, fortitioations, garden walks, and margiu'il borders is frequently secured in 
India, upon ])rinciple8 which unite expedition, elegance, and strength, in one verdant 
sward, which, to those unaciiuainted with the rapidity of vegetation in these climes, 
lias almost the appearance of enchantment." It is curious to observe that the same 
. mode of propagating this grass is followed in India as in our States at the South. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY, 75 

trated tlie jierpetual warfare wliicli the planter had to wage with the 
Bermuda grass. Not uiifrequeiitly the grass was the victor, and many 
considerable di.stricts were completely abandoned to its sway. It is now 
thoroughly appreciated by the best cultivators of the South. "I think 
it," says Col. A. J. Lane, a successful cotton-iihmter, " very doubtful 
whether there is an acre of land thoroughly set in Bermuda grass (if the 
ljroi)er use is made of it) that is not worth more than any crop tliat can 
be grown upon it.-' It will flourish on dry and almost barren lands. It 
will hold its idace indefinitely. Its nutritive power is said to surpass 
that of blue grass, it containing, according to the analysis of Dr. Eavenel, 
14 per cent, of the albumiuoids. Its yield in weight far surpasses that 
of clover. Although it produces no seed, it is easily proi>agated by 
sowing broadcast pieces of the roots obtained from the turf, washed free 
from the dirt, and chopped fine by a cuttiug-machine. The grass, wheu 
grazed, forms a very compact sod, which, turned in by the plow, has 
extraordinary nmnurial value. The results of cultivatiug thirty acres of 
laud well set with this grass are thus stated by Colonel Lane: 

First crop : Cotton, half stand, owiug to' the mass of unclecomiiosed sod ; 1,800 pounds 
of seed-cotton per acre. 

Second crop: Cotton, 2,800 pounds seed-cotton per acre. 

Third crop: Corn, 65 bushels per aci-e; corn manured with cotton seed. 

Fourth crop: Wheat, 42 bushels per aci'e. 

The average product of this land, without the sod, would luive been not more than 
100 pounds of seed-cotton, 15 to 20 bushels of corn, and 8 to 10 of wheat. 

According to Mr. Howard, by turning up Bermuda grass laiul by the 
plow, and sowing blue grass and white clover, a pasture can be pioduced 
capable of sustaining stock summer and winter. As the Bermuda grass 
dies down in autumn, the blue grass and white clover appear; the 
reverse occurring in the heat of summer. 

We will conclude oar extracts from this writer with one more directly 
pertinent to our subject. 

More than thirty years ago the writer, walking with a gentleman of far-reaching 
mind, and observing the gullied and excoriated condition of the soil near Milledge- 
ville, iu(iuired : " What is to restore its fertility to the worn-out portion of Georgia?" 
The answer was promptly given : " Sheep and Bermuda grass." There was profound 
wisdom in the reply. A large portion of old Geoigia must become a sheep-walk before 
it can be restored to fertility and the land-owners can become iudeiiendent of the 
negro. 

A correspondent from Memphis, Tenn., writing to the Department of 
Agriculture in January of the i)resent year, says : 

The best of all our grasses, though not a winter grass, is the Bermuda. Too much 
cannot be said about it as a jiasture grass; and, if the South were half covered with 
it, we could then have fat sheep and plenty. For successful sheep-raising at the South 
we want this grass alone. Turnips — plenty of thtnn, not patclies — large tields of them, 
and tields of rye or wheat or oats to pasture on in winter, will make up for the rest of 
the year. 

To this testimony as to the relatious of Bermuda grass to Southern 
sheep husbandry may be added — although his enthusiastic deductions 
need some qualification — that of Dr. George Little, the State geologist 
of Georgia, who says : 

When the value of Bermuda grass is appreciated by farmers and the thin and waste 
portions of their farms are clothed with it, which seems to. have been intended 
especially for sheep, Georgia Avill sustain a sheep to every acre of territory, and 
:i7, 000,000 of sheep would be worth to their owners in the ag-gTCg^te $37,000,0(')0, net, 
per annum, nearly double the present gross value of the cotton crop of the State. 

Forage plants. — There are exceptional periods when winter pastures 
will pro\e insufficient. These periods, short at the extreme South, 



76 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

become long^er with the ascending latitudes. Some supply of cured 
forage is indispensable for these periods. The field pea, which grows 
luxuriantly on all the sandy soils of the Tertiary formations of the 
South, is for that country what the clover is to the North. It is highly 
recomiiiended by Mr. Howard and Dr. Randall as a Avmter forage for 
the South, as its haulm, or straw, when cut partially green, makes a 
rich fodder relished by all stock. Dr. Randall says that " for sheei) 
and breeding ewes there is probably no feed in the world equal to lucely 
cured pea haulm, with a portion of the seed left unthrashed. It gives 
them condition and vigor, and prepares them to supply a bountiful sup- 
ply of milk for their yonng." 

To tiiis may be added the sweet potato, another peculiar product 
of the South. It is estimated that from two to jthree bushels of sweet 
])otatoes are equal in value to one bushel of corn. More than three 
times as many bushels of sweet i)otatoes can be raised on an acre as can 
be raised of corn on the most fertile lands of the West. Well-cured 
pea-^ines and sweet potatoes afford as cheap and valuable food for fat- 
tening sheep as can be found in any country whatever. A still nuire im- 
X>ortant i)roduct, peculiar to the South, must not be overlooked — the 
abundant cotton-seed, more nutritions than any grain, and so cheax) that 
it is afforded in Georgia for fifteen cents a bushel. 

AJfalfa. — California has recently brought into prominence a plant of 
foreign origin, which is destined to replace all others at the South for 
soiling or hay. This is the alfalfa, Cliili clover or lucerne, ^[edicago sa- 
tiva. Althongh intioduced into California from Chili — whence its Span- 
ish name — it has long been the chief reliance of the French farmers. 
While it will not succeed in England for want of sun, nor at the North 
on account of the winter's cold, it has been thoroughly tested at the 
South, and found to thrive from Texas to Virginia. Its requirements 
are very rich light and dry land, such as will be permeable to its long 
tap-root, which penetrates the gronnd, sometimes as deep as seventeen 
feet, for the moisture which enables it to resist any degree of superficial 
dryness. These requirements being met, it will, after the first year, yield 
from six even to eight tons of hay, which is preferred by cattle and 
slieei) to any hay whatever. A wiiter in the Transactions of the State 
Agricultnral Society of California for 1<S71 says that the alfalfa is the 
only plant which will grow through the dry summers of that State, and 
keep green all summer. He is assnred, by those that have pastured 
sheep upon it, that one acre of good land A\'ill keep forty sheep in good 
condition all the year round. The " Pacific Rural Press," of Marcli, 
1878, desciibing a ranch having 7,000 sheep, and other stock in pro- 
portion, says that 1,300 acres, sown to alfalfa, were cut last year five 
times, yielding about one and a half tons of hay to the acre to each 
cutting. From 35,000 to 40,000 acres in California were seeded with 
this clover in 187G. Its culture is regarded as the oidy hope for pre- 
serving the sheep-husbandry in the dryer portions of the State. It 
flourishes admirably in Texas ; keeping green all winter, and afford- 
ing feed to all kinds of stock. In ui)per portions of Georgia, the alfalfa 
does not kee]) green through the months of December and Jaiuiary, and 
is used only for seeding and hay. It would i)robably keep green through 
the winter in the lower parts of the State, and might be pastured. 

Turnips. — An imi)ortant feature of the climate of the South is that 
the wool-grower of that region can adoi)t the English practice of folding 
sheep on turnips. It is well known that the first great step in the im- 
provement of the sheep-husbandry of Englaiul was the introduction 
from Holland by William of Orange of the turnix) culture, at the end of 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 



77 



the seventeentli century. They were fed to sheep; and it was fonn«l 
that by this sj^stem the same hind wonhl snpport trebh> tlie number of 
sheep. Turnips and sheep form the founchition of the Enghsh four-iiehl 
system, and are the basis of English agriculture. Tliis system cannot 
be a(h)pted at the North, on account of the turnips freezing in the ground. 
Tlie folding system is especially fitted for the sandy lands on the coast, 
both as the cheapest means of ameliorating' them, and because such soils 
are favorable to the giowth of the turnii). 

The mode of i)rocedure is this: After turnips are grown on hind which 
has been suitably fertilized and cultivated — say in I)ecend)er or Jan- 
uary — a fold is made of hurdles or a portable fence, inclosing as many 
turnips as the tlock of sheep will eat in twent^'-four hours. One thou- 
sand sheep will consume the tiuiiips on an acre in that time; one hun- 
dred, a tenth of an acre in tlie same tinu'. The manure dei)osited by 
the sbeep in that tinu' will sufiice for four years' rotation. Mr. Harwot»d, 
in his admirable paper on the condition of agriculture in the cotton 
States, says of this system, Avhich he has practically tested on Georgia 
lands: 

The udvaiitajic of folding turnips is twofold. It is by far the clieapost method of 
niannrin.n' land. No hauling niannre is recpiirod, as the sheep haul their own niauure, 
both solid and licpiid, to preeiscly tlu^ s]iot on -which it is desired to apply it. It is 
evenly si)read without labor, no part being- excessively manured at the expense of 
another part. The effect of this manuring will be felt for years. Land so manured 
is good for two bags of cottcm to the acre the folloAving year. The other advantage 
is the fine condition into which the slice]) are put at a season of the year when mut- 
ton brings the highest price. When hind is put into sufficiently good order to bring 
.500 bushels of turnips to the acre, the gain in mutton is equivalent to the cost of the cro]>. 
The heavy manuring of the laud is, then, clear gain. 

rresenf conflition of ^Southern slieep-hushandry. — When Ave turn from 
this picture of the possibility of shee]>-husbandry at the South to its 
actual condition at the i)resent time, the contrast is very painful. The 
reports of the very al)le statistician of the Department of Agriculture, 
"which, from a careful examination of the system adoi)ted by Inm in ar- 
riving at lesults, we regard as very reliable, show the numbers of sheep 
in the States of the cotton belt, excluding Texas, to have been as follows, 
in January, 1878: 



states. 


Numbpr of 
slieep. 


Area in 
acres. 




490, 000 
175, 000 
382, ,'!()0 
5(i, 500 
270, 000 
125, 0(10 
2S5, 000 
850, 000 
250, 000 


32 450 560 




21 760 000 


Oeorsia 


37,120,000 
37 931 520 


rioiida 


Alabama 


32 4ti"' 080 


Louisiana 


26 461 440 




29, 184. 000 
14 7->0 000 




■MiMsinMiiipi 


30 179 840 








Total 


2, 883, 800 


262, 209, 440 





The area of the States named is derived from the reports of the Land 
Office. 

Thus there are in these States not far from one sheep to every 100 
acres. Ohio, with an area of 25,700,000 acres, has 3,783,000 sheep, or a 
sheep to about every seven acres. 

One county in Pennsylvania, Washington, has over 400,000 sheep, 
producing as good merino wool as there is in the world, while the whole 
of Oeorgia has not that number. 



78 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

Tlie United States Commissioner of Agriculture, with a due apj^reci- 
ation of the importance of sheep-husbandry to the South, has recently 
sent circulars, with minute inquiries as to the present condition and 
possibilities of tljis industry, witli blank returns, to his assistants in 
each county of the Southern States. Tlie original returns to these cir- 
culars, received in January, we have been kindly permitted to examine, 
and have carefully read every one received. Tlie general impression 
made ui)()n our mind by these returns, as to the actual condition of 
sheep-husbandry in most of the States, was far from agreeable. The 
returns did not show a single case of a well-bred and carefully-kept flock, 
such as we found in the North; although it is known that there are ex- 
ceptional cases of such flocks. As a rule, the variety kept is the native 
breed, producing about two pounds of wool, selling from 25 to 30 cents. 
Very few flocks, as would be seen, reach a hundred in number. Fre- 
quently the animals obtain their entire subsistence from the swamps and 
range. Those which h a ve somewhat better care durin g the winter months, 
receive a little cotton-seed and a fewturnij)s and strawfrom thethrashing- 
floor. But no provision seems to be made of hay or other forage. All 
the returns ngree in declaring that the great obstacle to sheep-raising is 
the destruction by dogs, popular opinion having hitherto prevented the 
enactment of suitable dog-laws. One return says: "There are but two 
successful wool-growers in this county, and their ranges are in constant 
supervision, a stock-minder in each constantly patrolling." 

There is now and then a hopeful gleam in the returns. A farmer in 
Georgia says "his 'herd' of 104 sheep produced $132.50." It cost only 
•$10 to feed them on cotton-seed. "What my sheep make," he says, "is 
just like picking it up." 

Maj. R. A. (iriffin, of Horry County, South Carolina, stated by the re- 
X^orter to be a person of acknowledged skill and success in sheep-hus 
bandry, says : "An individual experience of twenty-five years has i)roven 
that the increase will pay all expense of keep, leaving fleeces and manure 
as ])rofit." 

Thomas M. Bealy, of South Carolina, says : 

Oats and rye are the only small grains, except rice, that will grow here. For every 
plow animal on the farm, the farmer should sow down, sod Avell prepared in Septem- 
ber, six acres of oats. Upon these oats he should turn in three to five head of sliceii 
the middle of December. It will give them the beyt of pasture until 1st of March, 
when they should be turned out, and the oats left to head up. Each six acres of tlieso 
oats should yield feed for one horse or mule twelve months, and kept in ordi-r at con- 
stant work without a grain of corn. Such farming would make a man rich in a short 
time. 

E. C. Ethridge, of Colerain, S. C, says : " When sheep-cidture receives 
the attention that cotton now does in this section, it will be the most 
prospeious country in the world." 

Amlrew A. Spauldiug, of Kockingham County, North Carolina, born 
a Scotchman, says : 

I am ft'om the North, and have been here four years. I believe this is the making 
of a good agricultural country, if it was properly cultivated by an improved sjstem 
of farunng, ])articuiarly sowing grasses and clover, having a rotation of crops, keep- 
ing more stock, and letting the fields lie three years in grass, and sowing down yearly 
as much as is taken up. By this means the farmers would be better oft" and the land 
vastly improved. 

A more exact picture of the sheep-husbandry of the South, as hitherto 
pursued, is given by our intelligent correspondent. General Young, of 
North Carolina, who, as a wool-mamifacturcr, has been led to give par- 
ticular attention to the wool resources of his State. He says : 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 79 

Twenty years' experience in mannfactnring the wools grown in this State has 
faniiliiirized the writer with tlie niaiiner in wliieli this vahiahh' animal ("the sheep) 
has been eared for ; anil has eonvinciMl him that, withont great natnral advantages, 
their utter neglect wonhl long sin(;e have exterminated them from the soil. There are 
but few plantations in the State n])on which there was not to be fonnd a liock of 
sheep, intended to be oiilj/ sufficient to furnish the wool necessary to clothe the family, 
and furnish an occasional mutton. These sheep were generally the "native" lireed, 
rarely improved l)y crosses upon foreign blood. As a general rule, these small flocks 
never entered into their owner's estiuuite of his valuable property, and they were 
never so treated. In the s])ring Ihey were shorn of their fleeces, and turned outside 
their owners' inclosures to s(>ek their sumnu^r's sni>i)ort in the forests and wastes lands, 
OA'er which they chose to roam and to run the gauntlet for life anu)ng hungry hounds 
and gaunt curs almost as numerous as themselves. All that might escape, and were 
able to tind their homes in the fall season, and would seek its inhosj)italities in the 
winter, would be admitted within the gates and permitted to eke out a scanty living 
in the denuded fields and corners of worm fences, which is supplemented by a morning 
and evening allowance of corn fodder, which the compassionate and apjtreciative 
owner allows to be fed to them by a boy who has not yet attained sufficient size to be 
otherwise useful. The only protection against the rains and occasional storms of 
winter, afforded to a nnijority of the flocks, being such as their instinct leads them to 
seek, by hovering on the sheltering sides of barns and outbuildings that may be ac- 
cessible. Yet, under +his treatment, the flocks of the farmers kept their numbers full, 
and occasionally multiply beyond their wants. 

The facility witli wliicli these flocks may be improved is well illus- 
trated by General Young". He says: 

Of necessity, the fleeces of these sheep are liglit and inferior ; hut wherever an effort 
has been made to improve the stock by crossing on Merino or other approved blood, 
the effect is satisfactory and lasting. From the univei'sal custom of turning the eutin; 
stocks into the common "range," the impression of a. Merino, Southdown, or other 
importation, would manifest itself upon the flocks of eutii'e neighborhoods. So appar- 
ent is the improvement thus nuide that, in purchasing the surplus brought to market, 
there would l)e no difficulty in recognizing the wool from a neighborhood that had been 
favored by some enterprising farmer having imported from Virginia or Pennsylvania 
a pair of l)looded animals. Without any eliange in the mode of treatment, these ini- 
provenuMits are knoAA'n to be distinctly m.anifest in neighborhoods thirty years after 
their introduction. Being able to withstand all the hardship and neglect, and 
promptly to resjjond to every effort to improve their quality or condition, it is evident 
that there is in North Carolina an adaptation of natural gifts to their i)ecnliar wants. 

The returns to the Department of Agriculture before referred to make 
no mention of the large flocks — reaching as high, in some cases, as 3.500 — 
which are spoken of by the commissioner of agriculture of the State of 
Georgia, as occurring on the i)ine-]ands of that State. We learn froiu 
General Abbott, of North Carolina, that flocks reaching up to 1,000 
head are found on the pine-lands of the State. These llocks, if they 
can be called flocks, are never fed; the care of the owners being 
limited to marking- and gathering them up for shearing. This can 
scarcely be called sheep-husbandry : for luisbandry implies care, and pro- 
vision for sustenance. Indeed, of the large poition of the South — espe- 
cially tlie lower South, excluding- Texas — with excei)tions Avhich ahnost 
could be counted on the Angers, taking into view the general want of 
care and provision for sustenance, it may be said that sheei)-husbandry, 
in the ])roper acceptation of the term, does not exist in that country. 
Tins cannot be considered a rei)roach. The exclusive devotion to cotton 
accounts for it. And the interest now taken in sheep culture by the nu)st 
intelligent men of the South, ami the general interest recently manifested 
by the numerous letters received l)y the Department of Agriculture, ask- 
ing for information on the subject, are guarantees of a brighter future in 
this industry at the South. 

, Our N'iew of the actual condition of this industry at the South, we ad- 
mit, does not correspond witli the impression readers would be ai)t to 
form from the report of the commissioner of agricidture of the State ol 



80 SIIEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Georgia upon the slieep-hu.sbandry of that State. He says that "the 
average animal profit on the capital invested in sheep in Georgia is 63 
per cent. The average annual cost of kee])iug sheep is only 54 cents. 
The average cost of raising a ponnd of wool is only 6 cents; while the 
average price for which the unwashed wool sells is 33^ cents, or 27^ 
cents net." These results are alleged to have been, and undoubtedly 
were, derived from returns addressed to those engaged in the business. 
Particulars are given of only two cases, which we will quote : 

Mr. D.ivid Aycrs, of Camilla, Mildred County, in Southwestern Georgia, where snoAv 
never falls and the ground seldom freezes, and where the original pine forest is car- 
peted with native grass, says his sheep — 3,500 in number — cost him auuually 14 cents 
per head, clip :? pounds of iinwashed wool, which sells at 30 cents per jiouud, giving a 
clear profit of 90 per cent, on the money and ]al)or invested m sheep. Mr. Ayers does 
not feed his sheep at any time during the year ; neither has he introduced the improved 
breeds, using only what is called the native sheej). 

Mr. Robert C. JEfumber, of Putnam County, in Middle Georgia, keeps 138 sheep, of 
the cross between the Merino and the common sheep. He says they cost nothing, ex- 
cept the salt they eat ; while they pay 100 per cent, on the investment, in mutton, 
lambs, and wool. They yield an average of 3 pounds of wool per head, which he sells 
at the very low price of '25 cents — less than the market-price. It costs him nothing, 
except the shearing. His sheep range on Bermuda grass — old fields in sunnuer, and 
the plantation at large, embracing the fields from which crops have been gathered, 
and the cane bottoms, in winter. 

We are not disposed to deny that the estimates of profits made by the 
commissioner, or given in the i)niticular cases cited are literally correct. 
But we are compelled to state that some of the returns from the above- 
named State, at the United States Department of Agriculture, express 
dissent from the commissioner. Ouq return says : " His figures are too 
low for my county, and too low for almost the entire State." Indeed it 
may be generally said that no particular estimates of the cost of raising 
sheep and tlie profits resulting therefrom can be relied on as induce- 
ments for others to embark in the business. The broad proposition that 
the annual profits from raising sheep throughout an entire State are 
03 per cent, must be fallacious. While it may be true that a particular 
owner, having a vast range very favorably situated, in whicli two or 
three thousand can pick up their sustenance, may find them very profit- 
able, a competing owner in his neigliborliood would bmitthe range, and 
Ihe profits would diminish. It may be true that small flocks will cost 
so little to their owner that the profit from them will be "just like pick- 
ing it up " ; but this may not be the case with flocks of two or tliree 
hiindred animals. It is erroneous to consider sheep-farming, as it must 
be ordinarily conducted, as a matter of direct profit from the investment 
of capital. The amount of money which can ordinarily be put into 
sheep-husbandry with advantage by one person is so small tliat it can- 
not be properly called an investment of cai)ital. The consideration in 
growing sheep, except under the purely i^astoral system, is not one of di- 
rect profit, to be calculated like the dividends from bank stock ; but it is 
the general advantage of combining it with other industries on the form, 
of adding to its resources, and of making the ivkole more productive. 

The course recommended for the South. — There are two very distinct 
branches of the wool-growing industry. One is purely pastoral; hav- 
ing regard only to wool, taking but little account of the value of mutton, 
and none of the improvement of the land. It is conducted as an ex- 
clusive business in large flocks. The sheep-husbandry of Texas, Cali- 
fornia, and Australia belongs to the ])urely pastoral system. It is be- 
lieved by many that the vast region of pine-lands in Southeastern and 
Southern Georgia, extending from Savannah to the Chattahoochee, com- 
l>risiug about ten nnllion acres, now practically unoccupied, constitutes a 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 81 

natural i)asture upon wliicli a million slieei? could be raised at a trifling- 
expense. This is the opinion of tlie commissioner of agriculture of 
the State. 

Col. Richard Peters, of Atlanta, Ga., admitted to be the highest au- 
thority on sheep-husbandry in the State, in his original communication, 
elsewhere given at length, speaks of this district as follows : 

Across till', entire wiiltli of the State there is a belt of country of an extent, 
nortlnvard from tlie coast and the Fhmda line, say from 100 to 150 miles. It is the 
land of tlie long-leaf jiine and the wire-grass. Flocks of native sheep, as high as 
8,500 in number, are found here and there scattered over the surface, rcMciving 
but little care or attention, exce])t at the annual gathering for shearing and mark- 
ing. Very little can be said either for the quantity or (|uality of the wool raised 
there. I am aware that it has be'u claimed for this section that its present advan- 
tages are as great for large flocks as the ranges in Texas and California. I do not sub- 
scribe to this opinion. The pasturage of this section, called wire-grass, offers line 
grazing for sheej) in the sjjring ; btit, for permanent and continuous food, it cannot be 
relied on. A fair exi)eriment in sheep-raising, uniting good attention, selection, and 
crossing, with a determination to secure the best development in frame and fleece, has 
not been made in this section for many years. If it were properly attempted, by 
condiining Bei'inuda with the wire grassfor sjiring and sunuuer pasture, and red winter 
oats ibr one or two nu)nlhs in winter, for the ewes arid lambs, I think the results 
would prove of the most satisfactory and profitable character. 

General Young, of Xorth Carolina, who, as a practical wool manu- 
facturer, speaks with much weight, is more sanguine than Mr. Peters as 
to the ca[)acity of the lower region for sheep-husbandry. He says that, 
in the tide-water regions — 

The sheep find a sustaining pasturage the entire year upon the wire-grass which 
grows spontaneously through the otherwise barren forests. Being thus independent of 
their owners, they keep in uniform good fi:^sli, grow to better maturity, and furnish 
better fleeces than in the upper portions of the State. 

By the statements of General Gordon and others, it appears that im- 
mense tracts of these lands can ba obtained at from 50 cents to $1 an 
acre. Having been burned over in former times by the Indians, they 
are free from underbrush. There is no necessity of clearing the land, 
as the pines may be destroyed by girdling. The land can be i)repare(l 
for the required pasturage of winter oats, simply by harrowing. A great 
advantage of these more southerly localities is the facility for sup])lying 
early lambs for the Northern markets. Even Texan flock-masters with 
whom we have conversed admit the advantages of these lands for sheep- 
growing on a large scale. 

When intelligent sheep f^irming is practiced on these now waste pine 
lands, it is believed that it will develop a value in them never yet con- 
ceived of. Sheep-farming has made the chalky downs of England, once 
arid wastes, gardens of verdure. There are no soils so responsive to 
manure as those of a light, saiuly character. The most productive lands 
in all the United States are in Cambridge, Mass., where the writer re- 
sides. Originally sandy plains, bearing a few pitch-pines, they have 
been com-erted into market-gardens. Covered with glass, or hot-beds, 
in the winter, and heaped up with manure when the glass is removed, 
they bear successive crops through the whole year, and yield as high as 
$4:,()0() per acre in a year. The Tertiary lands of the South contain many 
elements wanting in our Xorthern pine plains (especially in the subsoil)^ 
as they contain organic remains. A scientific farmer in Louisiana re- 
gards the pine l^nds, when made rich as they can be with i>ine straw, 
folding sheep, and plowing in green crops to supply organic matter, as 
the most pleasant lands to cultivate, and the best lands in the State. 

It is of such land as this that Longfellow speaks in ''Evangeline" — 

Here no stony groinid pi-ovokes tlie wrath of farmer, 

Smoothly the ploughshare runs through the soil, like a keel through the water. 

S. Ex. 25 — -6 



82 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Sheep for mixed hushandry. — The other and more important branch of 
sheep hnsbandry, in its relations to the improvement of a conntry. is 
that where the enlture of slieep is made auxiliary to a mixed husbandry. 
The hijuhest advantage of this system is the imi)rovement of the land. 
As this ])ai)er may come under the eye of persons less familiar with the 
subject than our habitual readers, we may be allowed to repeat facts 
before stated in our x)ag'es. 

Sheep are the only animals which danot exhaust the land upon which 
they feed, but i)ermanently iniprove it. Horned cattle, es])ecially cows 
in milk, by continued grazing-, ultimately exhaust the pastures of their 
phosphates. In England, the i>astnres of the county of Chester, famous 
as a cheese district, are kei)t up only by the constant use of bone dust. 
Sheep, on the other hand, through the peculiar nutritiousness of their 
manure, and the facility with which it is distiibilted, are found to be the 
most economical and certain means of constantly renewing the ]U'oduct- 
iveness of the land. By the combination of sheep husbandi-y with Avheat- 
culture, lands in England, which, in the time of Elizabeth, ]U'oduced, 
on an average, (54 bushels of wheat per acre, produce now over 30 liushels. 
For these reasons, the recent i)ractical writers in the Journal of the 
Eoyal Agricidtural Society of England pronounce that, while there is 
no profit in growing sheep in England simply for their nuitton and wool, 
sheep husl)andry is still an indispensable necessity, as the sole means of 
kee])ing up the land. 

Ex])erience in the United States leads to similar conclusions. Mr. 
Stilson, of Wisconsin, by keeping sheep, is able to raise his 24 bushels 
of Avlieat to the acre, wliile the average yield of wheat in Wisconsin is 
but 10 bushels. There are cases in Vermont Avhere shee]) farmers have 
been com})elled to abandon one farm after another, as they became too 
fertile for jirofltable sheep-growing. Mr. Geoi-ge Geddes, whom Horace 
Greeley used to regard as the highest authority on agricultural matters 
in the State of New York, and who has raised sheep for many years in 
connection with wdieat, says that with one sheep to the acre of culti- 
vated land, i>asture, and meadows he raises more bushels of grain on 
the average than he did when he had no sheep to manufacture his coarse 
forage into manure, and to enrich his pastures to prepare tliein for the 
grain crop; that tlie land is constantly imi)roving, and the crop increas- 
ing in quantity ; and that, while producing cro])s on less acres and at 
less cost than he did before he kept sheep, he has, i)t addition, the wool 
and the mution produced by the sheep. 

Mr. William Chamberlain, of Red Hook, Dutchess County, New York, 
celebrated as a grower of Silesian sheep, purchased in 1840 a farm in 
that place of 380 acres, which had been used so long for selling hay that 
it was worn out. The hay croj* in 1841 was 17 loads ; 40 acres of rye gave 
K) bushels to the acre ; 25 acres of corn averaged 20 bushels to the acre; 
the rest of tlie farm pastured 2 horses, 4 oxen,, and 1 cow. The land was 
so poor that it v/ould not v.tise red clover. By using sheej) as the pro- 
ducers ;u;d r.ianufacHiirjs of manure, he made this worn-out farm so 
]n'oductive that its (•i0j)s would be satisfact(uy even in Ohio. The 
]>roduct in 18()(> wits 600 t ins of hay; 40 acres of Indian corn, yielding 
no bushels to the acre; 30 acres of wheat, averaging 15 bushels; 30 
acres of oats, 8 a(Tes of roots, and the i)asturage of (JOO sheep, and of 
the teams, cows, &c., necessary to carry on the farm an«l to sui)ply the 
families on it Avith milk and butter. 

Mr. Chand)erlain's ])lan, when he first commenced making manure by 
using sheep, M'as to spread it thinly, so as to go over all the surface he 
could and ]iiuke clover grass; and he said that, wiien he had brought 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 83 

his land to where it would produce clover, improvement henceforth was 
easy and rapid. The sheep not only gave the first impulse, but were 
all the time depended upon a's the great manure-i)roducing power. 

Now, all this can be done by sheep at the South. By their use even 
red clover, the grand ameliorator of land (which it was once declared could 
not be grown at the South), can be made to have the same regenerating 
influence which it has at the Nortli. Even in Mississippi, as Dr. Phares 
has asserted and proved, red clover may be grown as promptly and as 
luxuriantly, and yield as heavy crops of forage, as in any i^ortion of 
America. 

Many of the most intelligent men of the South believe that the 
exclusive cultivation of cotton has been a scourge, instead of a blessing, 
to their country; that, with a crop of over 500,000 bales of cotton — 
worth, at 15 cents a pound, $75 per bale — in one State, Georgia, its 
agricultural population, as a wliole, were poorer at the end than at the 
beginning of the year; that labor on a cotton plantation where a fall 
crop is ]danted is without intermission ; and that it is excessive in the 
quantity required, often exceeding in cost the whole salable value of 
the plantation ; that such is the demand for labor in those sections in 
which exclusive cotton culture is practiced that the i)lanter is compelled 
to take any labor that offers, Avhether good, bad, or indifferent; and 
thus the exclusive cotton-planter belongs to the negro as the negro once 
belonged to him; that if but half the usual quantity of cotton were 
l)lanted the value of the crop would be about the same, and but half 
the labor would be required; that by high farming, or cultivating with 
the plow, fewer acres, and those only which can be heavily manured, 
greater results may be obtained with diminished labor, the cost being 
rather in the manure than in the cultivation ; and that high tarming 
would be remunerative in the cotton States, with the triple effect of 
impro\ing the soil, increasing profits, and diminishing, and therefore 
controlling and improving, the labor. Xone of the language in the above 
paragraphs is our own ; it is literally taken from Soutliern writers. 

If they speak correctly, and the Southern land-holder must cultivate 
only the small proportion of land which he can manure heavily, what is 
to become of the rest of it? The only answer is, the rest may be de- 
voted to small grains, to meadow and pasture. To utilize the meadow 
and pasture, sheep can be more profitably" used at the South than any 
other stock. Cattle can be better raised at the West. Dairy and cheese 
farming are more difficult and more laborious than sheep-farming. Sheep 
culture has other advantages over cattle-raising. It gives annual divi- 
dends in the fleeces. Indeed, the ewe gives two dividends — her fleeces 
and her lambs. The beef-producing animals give no dividends; and the 
grower must go on adding his expenses till the end of their lives, when 
he must find his compensation (if he can) in one gross sum. The capi- 
tal required for the purchase of sheep — enough stock for a fair trial — is 
small. Large flocks are not required. 

Sheep-growing- is comiiionded by o her considerations, apparently 
slight, but too important to be overlooked. Wool never has to seek a 
purchaser. Poor or good, it i'^; evidently the cash article on the farm. 
The little addition from this source to the resources of tlie farm affords 
a satisfaction to which CA^ery wool-growing farmer will testif\-. The 
absolute enjoyment the farmer has in the care of his flocks is no little 
consideration; neither is the gentle and humanizing influence, which 
a love for animals is well known to exert, to be overlooked. If the 
prejudice still lingers that sheep culture is a less dignified occn]>ation 
than that of cotton-planting, it should be dispelled. The nobility of 



84 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

slieep-gTowing, and especially of sheep breeding-, is recognized by alltlie 
advanced nations. The Empress Eugenie took the flock of Eambouillet 
under her si)ecial protection. France has recently erected a monument 
to Daubenton, who lirst showed how the culture of the merino could be 
made successful. The Queen of Eugland takes pride in the choice flocks 
which adorn her parks. The first exhibitor of w^ools at our Centennial 
was an archduchess. The princes of Hnngary are as proud of the fine- 
ness of their wools as of their own descent. The English nobleman 
values the prizes for his perfected Southdowns or Lincolns above all 
the honors of tlie turf; and, at a dinner of the landed gentry, the topic 
of sheep and turnips takes precedence of all other table-talk. With snch 
recoguitions, sheep husbandry has no need of nrging its claims to a place 
of honor on tlie plantations of the Soutli. 

Precisely how sheep-farming, in conne(;tion witli the cotton culture, is 
to be earned on we would not presume to indicate. Fortunately, we 
have a Southern man — Mr. Howard, before quoted, and whose high au- 
thority as a scientific and practical farmer is well recognized in Georgia — 
to illustrate the application of diversifled husV)andry to the cotton cult- 
ure. He submits the following rotation of crops, in connection with 
sheep-growing, as suited to the agricultural condition of the South: 

We will suppose a farm of 500 acres of open laml under fence. Let 250 acres be de- 
voted to aralde ])nri)ose8 and the rest to grazini;'. 'J'lie rotation might be as follows: 
1. Cotton and corn, in the same tield, in suitable proportions ; '2. Oats, sown in August, 
on the cotton and corn land ; 3. Eye, or rye and wheat, sown in Septeml)er, the land 
having been twice plowed, in order to kill the permanent oats ; 4 and 5. Clover, if the 
land is in sufficient heart to produce it; if not, the fourth year rest nngrazed, and the 
tifth year slieep and cattle penned upon it every night during the year, using a i>orta- 
ble fence. An ordinary farm of 500 acres will sni>i)ort 500 sheep, besides the crops in 
the above rotation. The oats and rye will feed them during the winter nearly or en- 
tirely, withoTit injury to the graiu. Five hands would be sufficient to work sucli a farm 
and take care of the live stock. 

During the tirst year, the following results might be expected from an ordinary farm 
without manure : 

25 acres in cotton, 12 bags, at 15 cents |900 00 

25 acres in corn, 250 bushels, at $1 2.50 00 

50 acres in oats, 500 bushels, at 80 cents 400 00 

25 acres in rve, 200 bushels, at !|1 200 00 

25 acres in wheat, 150 bushels, at $1.50 225 00 

Increase and mutton sales of 500 sheep 500 00 

Wool, 3 ]iounds per head, at 33 cents per pound 500 00 

Manure, at $1 per head TiOO 00 

3,475 00 

Separately, each of these products is small ; still the aggregate result is more than 
$600 per hand. Yet this is nearly three times the average product per hand in the 
cotton States. 

The farm products given in the case above supposed are the result of the first year's 
rotation. The next year the cotton and the corn would be more than double by ]»en- 
ning 500 Hheeji at nigiit on .50 acres. It is the writer's experience that 10 sheej), regu- 
larly penned, will manure 50 acres. Two liundred would therefore manure well .50 
acres. The appearance of the ground would not indicate this high manuring, but it 
.should be remembei-ed that liqiud manure (which is equal in value to the solid) is not 
visible. * * * At the end of the tifth year of this rotation the change in the farm 
would be equal almost to a transformation, the crops having doubled or trebled with- 
out (which is a most important point) any material increase of labor or other expense. 

The accuracy of the estimates above given we do not vouch for. As 

we liave said before, all definite estimates of profits in any industry are 

liable to be fallacious. They are submitted only for illustration. The best 

hand-booksof art can do hardly anything more than suggest and excite the 

■ reader to apply his own intelligence to the particular problem Avhich he 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 85 

desires to solve. The more i»eiieral statement of another (Mr. Peters) 
may be more safe. He is ex])erieuce(l in sheep, and commends their em- 
ployment in connection with the cnltnre of cotton. He says. 

In the middle part of the State of Georgia the Bernmda grass prevails ; aud, under 
the cottoa system of culture, it AA'as the (tread aud haue of the i)lanter; but now, for 
its uutritious qualities aud couipaetuess of sod, it is considered by our people as valua- 
ble and reliable as any grass, not excei)ting the Kentucky blue-grass. It will otter sheep 
the very best of pasturage for six mouths of the year in this section of the State; and, 
if managed as on the pastures of Kentucky, for the entire year. In Putnam, Hancock, 
Wilkes, and adjoining counties (formerly the d dorado cotton country of Georgia), Avhere 
the Bermuda has taken possession, there is a future for successful sheep-husbandry, 
])roviding, of cour.se, the supervision be intelligent, and the business projjcrly con- 
ducted, and combined Avitli cotton culture, the result nnist jjrove highly remunerative — 
far snr))iissing anything in the jiast history of this industry in New England or the 
Middle States. 

In regard to the general cnltnre of sheep at the Sontli, independently 
of its relation to any particular locality, he observes : 

In reference to the whole matter of sheep-husbandry at the South, in which neither 
labor, care, nor expense has been spared by me, I may say with safety I know of no 
investment so likely to yield constant and i)rotitab]e return to the farmer ; and cer- 
tainly none so valuable to the acres he occupies. I think the State of Georgia, from 
its varied clinuite, soil, and surface, offers unequaled facilities for this industry. 

My own experience has been to a great extent in North or Upper Georgia, in Gordon 
County. The country is hill and valley, the land changing very rapidly ; the pastur- 
age, sedge, crab, and other native grasses. Of the cultivated, the f)rchard-grass, red 
and Av lute clover on the upland, and red-top on low land, succeed admirably. Lu- 
cerne aud Gernian millet are never-failing sources of an ample supply of hay. The 
former afford from four to five cuttings in a season. Red rust iiroof oats — a variety 
reliable in winter, if sown in September — can be pastnred during the Aviuter aud early 
spring, aud then yield a full crop of grain. The same may be said of barley, rye, aiul 
wheat. 

The breeds I ha\'e tested are the Spanish aud French Merinoes, SouthdoAvns, Ox- 
fordshiredoAA'u, Leicester, Asiatic broad-tail or Tunisian, Improved Kentucky Cots- 
Avold, and nati\'e sheep. I haA'e also crossed nearly all of these varieties. Those be- 
tween the Siianish Merinos aud uatiA'c, aud the Cotswold aud native, haA'e proA^ed 
most profitable. My ])resent A'arieties are the thorough-bred Merinoes and CotsAVolds 
and crosses between these tAVO. 

For general purposes of avooI and nmtton, I recommend most decidedly the cross 
from the native caycs aud Spanish Merino bucks, the progeny shoAving marked im- 
provement, haAung constitution, fattening properties, thriftiness, and a close, compact 
tleece. 

If the winters are mild, my Hocks require feeding about thirty days; if cold and 
wet, twice that time. My Merino sheep are A^ery healthy. They have had trouble 
Avith the sheep bot-liy ; but I have found a liberal use of tar a perfect preAcntiAe. 

In all Avell-selected and AA'ell-nninaged flocks, the increase and manure Avill amply 
pay all expenses, and leave the fleece clear jiroflt. The fleeces of my flocks, not housed 
at night, will give an aA^erage of seven pounds of wool to the head. 

The future history of the sheep-hnsl)andry of this State, if intelligently pursued iu 
accordance Avith its natural divisions, Avill show three distinct systems; that of 
Northern Georgia Avill souK^Avhat resemble the industry iu Ohio, PennsylAania, New 
York, and New England ; that of the middle of the State, Kentucky ; and that of the 
southern portion (with shepherds and dogs), Texas, Colorado, and California. 

In order that Southern gentlemen who may see this paper should 
have the views of a thorougldy i)ractical farmer and expert in sheep- 
husbandry at the IS^orth, we have requested Mr. William G. Markham, 
of Avon, i!^. Y., president of the New York State Wool-Growers' Asso- 
ciation, and secretary of the National Wool Growers' Association of the 
United States (whom we have had the privilege of consulting daily 
dttring the preparation of this paper), to give some suggestioibs in fur- 
tlierance of the object of improving' and extending sheep culture at the 
Sontli, and particularly as to the breed of sheep most desirable in that 
section. He has replied to this request as follows : 

Aa-on, N. Y., Apiil 21, 1878. 
Dear Sir: You ask my \'icws of improA-ed sheep husltaiulry and its adaptatdlity to 
the South. My personal experience as a breeder of sheep has been mainly Avith Ameri- 



86 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

cau Merinoes in Western Ne^Y York, though I have bred Cotswohls and other long-wool 
varieties to some extent. • 

In my innui'diate vicinity are some of the most skillful and snccessful breeders of 
American Merinoes in thisconntry. I have at all times been quite familiar with their 
flocks, and watched Avith greatest care and interest the results of the ditiereut experi- 
ments in management and breeding. 

The little, light-tlecced foreigners imported from Spain between A. D. 1800 and 181:?, 
l>y Colonel Hvimjihreys, Consul Jarvis, and others, were transforuied by Messrs. At- 
wood of Couuecticnt, Hammond of Vernu)nt, and others, into a type of sheep so far 
superior, in constitutiou, form, and Aveight of fleece, and altogether so widely difter- 
ent from the original importation, as to be regarded a distinct variety ; and, in justice 
tu our breeders, the word Sjumishyyas drojiiJed, and the term ^meHcaw Merinoes aj) plied 
to them. 

To continue this iiuprovement in our stud Hocks a system for identifying and indi- 
vidualizing the sheep has been inaugurated, by placing ax)ermanent metallic uu'dal in 
tlie ear of each sheep, containing its tlock number, and aa accurate record is made of 
the general characteristics of each shee]), giving weight of fleece, length and (piality of 
staple, form, and breeding qualities, &c., and preserving the pedigree of each iudi- 
vidual for a public register. This additional care has enabled our breeders to attain 
greater and more valuable fleeces than ever before produced from this variety of sheep. 
Our flocks aresmall, usually containing from 50 to 100 breediugewes, the clip of which 
will, in some instances, avei'age ui^varils of 1.5 poun<ls each, while selections of ewes 
not in breeding often shear as high as 18 to 22 pounds, unwashed, Avhich scour from 
6 to 7| pounds. The live weight of these ewes reaches 90 to loO pounds. The stock 
rams produce from 26 ponnds to 36 pounds, yielding about the same proportion of 
scoured wool, weight IfjO pounds to ISJO pounds. 

And these sheep are the direct descendants, without admixture of other blood, of 
the importations from Spain prior to 1813, which gave 3 to 5 pounds unwashed wool 
from ewes and 7 to 9 pounds from rams. 

Our market for these sheep of late has been in the South and West, principally Cal- 
ifornia, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. It has been the especial study of our 
breeders To produce such rams as, when crossed n^xm the conmu)U or native sheep of 
those sections, Avill produce the most valuable results in wool and mutton. 

The great bulk of all wool used is Merino clothing-wool, requiring strong fiber, of 
medium length and fineness. 

It is nn(iuestionably true, that cultivating the finest quality of wool has a tendency 
to |iroducc ett'emiuacy, resulting in a flue-boiuul, delicate sheep. 

It is also the experience of our breeders that great length of staple is incompatible 
Avith density of fleece. In breeding for great length of staple, Ave do so at a sacrifice 
of density, which, of all characteristics, is most difficult to secure and retain. In no 
other way can so much be accomplished in this direction as by the use of wrinkly 
rams. 

The most desirable' type of sheep for the Avool-groAviug sections of the South and 
West must possess, first, constitrition. This implies a broad, deep chest, strong heavy- 
boned legs, large feet, broad short head and nose after the bull-dog pattern, and car- 
cass modeled as nearly after a short-horn bull as ])ossible. 

In fleece, one of the most important consideiaticnis is density, which better pi-otects 
the sheep from storms and the avooI from dirt, gives greater Aveight of fleece, and in 
hot climates better protects the yolk necessary for a healthy groAvth of avooI. 

It is the impression of our sheep-men that Northern sheep, when taken South, shear 
much lighter fleeces than at home, and that to keep uxt the Aveight of their flocks' lieeces, 
rams nmst be bred North. 

The fleece should be CA'cn OA'er the entire body, covering Avell the head, legs, and 
belly, and of medium quality, suitable for clothing wools. 

It is the aim of our breeders to furnish rams Avhich Avill soonest produce this type of 
shee]) Avhen crossed upon the light, dry, thin-fleeced native Mexican and Texas sheep. 

Much has been said by avooI merchants, and even Avool-growers Avho are ignorant of 
the true theory of our 'breeding, against the Avriukly, greasy, dirty-looking modern 
American Merinoes. 

Even Dr. Kandall, Avho in his day Avas the highest knoAvn authority on sheep mat- 
ters, in his " Practical Shepherd" denounced these exaggerated ty])es of this class of 
sheep as "an unmitigated nuisance " ; and yet tlu^ experience of tlie doctor sut)sc(|uently 
convinced him that he was in error, and timt in no other Avay could radical defects in 
a flock be remedied so advantageously as by the use of a ram possessing the desired 
characteristics in an exaggerated form. This he freely admitted, and he used u])on 
his OAvn flock of choice-breeding ewes one of the most Avrinkly and greasy rams it has 
ever been my good fortune to see ; and this to l■(^trieve Avliat he had lost in density and 
weight of flc'cce by the use of long-stapled, plain, fine-fleeced rams. 

Breeding inqn-oved sheep in Western N(^w Y(uk is quite unlike Avool-growingin the 
Southern States. To succeed in either, a unitbrm su))ply of nutritious food and drink 
must be supplied, and sheei) kept thriving every day in the year. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 87 

In introducing slieep husbandry in the South, where wool is the msiin object and 
mutton au auxiliary, the most profitable; sheep to breed is unquestionably the type I 
have described, res'ultiug fiuni a cross of American Merino upon the native sheep of 
the laud. 

In the vicinity of large towns, where early lambs or mutton maybe nuire profitably 
grown, the Cots\v(dd .should l)e used ujwu tlie second or third cross of Merinoes upon 
natives; the C'otswold l)eiug more hardy than any other of our mutton-sheep, and yet 
not as hardy as the resu.ltant cross with Merinoes. In whatever line one is breeding, 
the SHEKP is of first consideration; second, take care of the slieq), and you make a 
success. 

Very truly yours, 

WILLIAM G. MARK HAM. 

The culture of long-icnoJerl slieep and of other lanigerous animals. — The 
foruiatioii of flocks of Merino sheep, by g-radiug them up from n foiiuda- 
tion of the native stock, is recommended for the greater i)art of the 
South, as the chief product will be wool ; which, being- so easily trans- 
portable, can be grown protitably without reference to accessibility to 
markets. The vicinity to large cities, usually railroad facilities, or the 
command of permanent i)astures of unusual richness, admit of another 
branch of shee]) husbandry in which the principal object is large and early 
lambs. For this class of sheep husbandry, the English races of sheep — the 
Leicesters, Lincolns, Cotswolds, and Downs, and varieties of the Cheviot — 
are specially iitted. An importantincident to the culture of these varie- 
ties is the production of the long combing- wools now in so great demand 
for the worsted manufacture. The worsted manufacture of this country, 
ten years ago of a value not exceeding $ 10,000,000, now annually exceeds 
$20,000,000. Oar principal supply of these wools formerly came from 
Canada. N'ow the production is declining in Canada, and rapidly in- 
creasing in the United States. The successfifl production of the long 
combing- wools is limited to the populous districts, where there is a de- 
mand for mutton, and where there is an improved agriculture. There- 
fore, while the i)roduction of fine merino wools in this country is liable 
to be affected by the competition of the vast pastoral regions of the 
Southern Hemisphere, and, without defensive duties, would be certainly 
overwhelmed, there is no probability of overproduction in the growth of 
combing-wool. As a general rule, the English long-wooled races are 
adapted only for situations where the lands are rich, not subject to 
drought, fitted for root-culture, and where good city markets are easily 
accessible. It would seem, then, that there are but few situations at 
the South, or that portion of the Southern cou.ntry which we have hith- 
erto in view, where the English races could be cultivated to advantage. 
Mr. Peters is of opinion that the more elevated country of the Southern 
States is well adapted to these sheep ; as, he says that the influx of 
tlie English combing-wools " would keep, for many generations, the 
fair Blue Eidge of the South Avithout sheepwalks, though it is by 
nuture one of the most favored spots in America for this class of wools." 
A milder climate than that of the Xorth is required for the successful 
culture of the most important of the long-Avooled English races— the 
Leicester. The universal te.stinu)ny at the North is that the climate, 
generally, is too severe for the Leicesters, and therefore the hardier 
Cotswolds are preferred. Leicester wools, pronounced to be eqiml to 
the best English, have been produced in Ohio, on the southern border of 
Lake Erie. But the climate is modified by the lake, and this is i)ecu- 
liarly a region of the vine. The wool of the Cotswold is too coarse for 
many worsted fabrics, and has neither the fineness nor the luster of the 
Leicester. G-reater fineness in the Cotswold flei^ce may be produced, as 
has been done in Kentucky and Tennessee, by a slight infusion of Merino 



88 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

blood; but the highly miportaiit quality of luster, such as is wanted for 
the so-called black mohair and brilliantine fabrics, can be iini>arted only 
by Leicester or Lincoln blood. Besides, the Leicester is the most valua- 
ble of all nuitton-sheep for crossing, and imparts its precocity — that is, 
its capacity of fattening in one year, and of reaching full growth in two 
years — and therefore its mutton-producing capacity, to all other races. 
Where there are rich, sweet pastures, with quantity in a small space, 
and a moderate climate, the Leicester will thrive. Such localities must 
exist at least in Kentucky or Tennessee, and there the Leicester should 
be introduced. 

Kentnclcij sheep. — Whatever may be the possibilities of the Blue Kidge 
region for growing the long-wooled races, the ultra-montane regions of 
Tennessee, and especially Kentucky, are the oyly fields at the South 
where actual success has been achieved on any considerable scale. This 
may be due to geological formations existing in those States. It has 
been observed that the geological map of England exhibits an exact 
chart of the distribution of British sheep ; and Professor Shaler, the able 
professor of Geology at Harvard College, has observed to the writer that 
the capacity of Kentucky for mutton-sheep husbandry is strictly limited 
by the geological features of that State. Kentucky mutton, produced 
by her long-wooled sheep, invariably ai)pears in the choice w?e)*w.s'()f city 
hotels at the North. Its consumption is enormous. There are stalls at 
the Faneuil Hall Market, in Boston, where nothing is sold but Kentucky 
mutton. 

We have obtained the following statement from an intelligent gentle- 
man in Boston* : 

Boston, April 19, 1878. 

I have not forgotten your I'eqiiest iu regard to Kentucky sheep. Through an intro- 
duction Ironi Mr. Teny, the inspector of provisions, I have been phiced in coinnuini- 
cation witli the two largest dealers in mutton in tliis city. 

Yesterday afternoon I went to the abattoir in Brighton, and saw both of these 
gentlemen, from whom I obtained the following facts : 

During the year ending May 1, 1877, •27-2,000 sheep and lambs were slaughtered at 
the BrigTiton abattoir. This supplies the Boston marlvct, the neighl)oriug towns, and 
many of them are sent to the surrounding cities — I'ortsmouth, (.'onconl, Fall Eiver, 
and Manchester. There are, of course, a large number of dressed sheep sent to the 
Boston market from other places, not included in this number. 

In regard to Kentucky sheep, my informant — one of the gentlemen referred to, who 
does not desire his naine to be published — tells nu- that about 20,000 are annually sent 
to this market. This includes, as I understand, all the sheep from Kentucky. Before 
the war, the sheep sent from this State, though less in numl>er, were sui)erior to those 
now sent, being ahiuist all fijll-blooded Leicester, Cotswolds, or Southdowns. Lately, 
many of these long-wooled sheep have been crosSLMl with the native mountain or 
"Tennessee ewes," which are of an inferior grade. The inlncipal supply of sheep for 
this market, from Kentucky, comes from four comities [of course, the blue-grass coun- 
ties. — Ed.'\. 

The lirst-class Kentucky sheep will weigh about 150 pounds. Lots will average from 
125 to 150 pounds. Kentucky sheei), dressed, bring |2 per hundred more than ordinary 
sheep. 

The price of Kentucky lambs is as follows : from June 1 to July 1, about eight cents ; 
from July 1 to August 1, about 7 cents. The sheep average about 6 cents, live weight. 
Ordinary New England sheep average about 4^ cents, live weight. 

My informant says that nuiuy of his best sheep come from Ohio and Canada. 

I saw in the ])ens at Brighton some very hue Kentucky sheep, just received, and 
some excellent shee}) from Michigan. In the latter State, the Merino is crossed with 
a long-wooled slicej), which increases the size of the animal and improves the mutton. 

My informant has agents in various parts of the country — iu Covington, Saint Louis, 
Ohio, and other i>laees — and does an immense business, amounting in one year as high 
as 245,000 sheeji. He thinks that the national encouragement of sheep and wool pro- 
ducti(Ui will Iciid to an innuense export of nuitton, and that we shall supply England 
and the rest of Europe with all that they can take. Since December 1 he has killed 

* William A. Hayes, jr., counselor at law, No. 41 Sears Building, Bostou. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 89 

and exportefl from New York 2,r,00 sheep per week. He prerlicts that, in the conrse 
of ii few years, the character of the business will chansi,e in Boston, and will become 
like that of Chicago, the "tail end" only of the supply reinainin<; here, the best ani- 
mals being exported to Eni-ope. He also, withont any suggestion from uu', stated that 
the Houth is to become a great shee])-i)rodin'ing country, and that there sheep could 
be ))rodu(a^d more cheaply than rn Ohio and the West. 

Connected with the slaughter-houses at Brightcni are immense refrigerators, where 
the animals slaughtered can be kept for a long time. The same system is now intro- 
duced on l)oard ship, rendering the transjiortation of fresh meat a very easy matter. 

I was astonished at the extent of the abattoir, and the system which pervades the 
establishment. There is nothing lost, and the greatest cleanliness prevails. The lioofs 
and shin-bones, after having the oil extracted from them, are sent to Europe, and used 
in the manufacture of buttons, &c. The fat is fried out in large boilers, and converted 
into tallow. The blood and scraps of meat are dried, and the heads ground into bone- 
dust; the whole being converted into the Stockbridge fertilizers, which are manufact- 
nred in a large buihling near the abattoir. All disagreeable fumes arising from the 
rend(U-iug process are conducted into a large chiniuey, and there consumed. Nothing 
goes into the river but i)ure water. 

I may mention that I saw two or three sheep wandering about the yards apparently 
quite at home and very tame. These, I was informed, were "iiock leaders," and used 
to leatl the tiocks of slieep which come by the cars to any desired place. They are 
thoroughly trained, and are considered very valuable. 

Tlie peculiar capacity for growing" iiiutton-slieep in certain parts of 
Kentucky is given by the limestone soils, wLich produce peruianent pas- 
tures of the nutritious blue grass. Indeed, large size in all animals is a 
characteristic of this country. This has been attributed to the calca- 
reous character of the soil, which, supi)lying material for bone, favors 
the eidargement of the skeletons of all animals. The reports to the 
Agricultural Department say that no property in Kentucky pays better 
than shee]). One correspondent says that "the best results are from 
grades of the native with the full-blooded Cotswold breed. Three crosses 
will make a good flock. Full-bloods do not herd well. Only a small 
number can be kept together — say, thirty. If large, the flocks of full- 
bloods deteriorate." This corresponds with the experience in Canada. 
The enormous production of Canada long combing-wools is furnished by 
flocks of from 20 to 50 head, very rarely equaling that number. The 
most i)rofitable mutton-sheep is said by another correspondent to be the 
Cotswold crossed M'ith the Southdown. 

A correspondent from Trimble County, Ky., makes the following state- 
ment : 

We feed only when the snow is deep ; the balance of the winter sheep do well on blue- 
grass. There are no wild grasses in the county. 

The following are the results with a tlock of fiO good sheep : 

Fifty-nine Cotswold ewes, which cost .^8 per head $472 00 

One' buck cost $25 25 00 

Feed in winter, 3 tons of hay 24 00 

Pasturage in summer. $1 per head 60 00 

Salt 1 00 

Shearing per head, 10 cents 6 00 

For attending to flock 20 00 

Total cost 608 00 

Clip per head, 6 pounds at 30 cents 180 00 

Fifty-eight land^s, at $4 per head 232 00 

Manure from 60 head of sheep 30 00 

442 00 
By deducting the cost of keeping the sheep 136 00 

Leaves 300 00 

The net profit on an in vestment of 



90 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

The most eminent breeder in Kentucky of tlie long-wooled slieep is 
Mr. EoT)ert W. Scott, of Kentucky, who claims to have created a new 
permanent race, which bears the name of " improved Kentucky." From 
the i)ublislied accounts which Mr. Scott has given of his procedure in 
creating this breed, it api)ears tliat the object he had in view was to ob- 
tain the form and delicacy of mutton of the Southdown, and the weight 
and length of fleece of the Cotswold, with the thickness and softness of 
the Merino. His method was the infusion, from time to time, of the blood 
of each of these races, according to the quality which he desired to have 
predominate. Although it is not in accordance with the generally recog- 
nized principles of zocitechny that a i)ermanent race could be thus created, 
having the best attributes of all its ancestors, as there is constant tend- 
ency to reversion to the strongest race, Mr. Scott claims that his breed 
has become permanent, constantly reproducing itself; that, in ISOG, the 
sheep had become essentially alike and uniform, maintaining their iden- 
tity and imparting their qualities as surely as any other breed. So 
highly are they esteemed that he has found ready sale for all he could 
produce from a flock of a hundred ewes, at the uniform price of thirty 
dollars. He claims that they are peculiarly adapted to the South, as 
they need no housing. They are able to face the bleakest winter in 
Kentucky, without any protection. 

The great Silurian limestone basin of Middle Tennessee would seem 
to i>ossess equal advantages with the last-named State for growing the 
long-wooled sheep. Mr. Killel)rew, commissioner of agriculture of the 
State of Tennessee, hi the advance sheets from a work on sheep-hus- 
bandrj", just published by him, thus describes this district : 

There tlie meadows are luxuriaut, the pastures are green, tlie soil is fertile, tlie 
water abundant. * * * There all the grasses Honrish ; even the loftiest liills are 
set in bhu'-grass, and countless flocks fleck the laiHls('ai)e on every side. The highest 
evidence that can be adduced as to the value of this liasin for sheep-raising lies in the 
fact that shee]) ai'e grown upon nearly every farui, and, up to a certain nunibcir, are 
nniversaJly held to be lu-ofltable. iSheep requii-e no feeding in this division during 
winter, when upon goo(l grass, barley, wheat, or rye flekls, except when there is a fall 
of snow. Then some oats, fodder, or corn is fed. They are very healthy ; and, indeed, 
wheu attended to, prove a most profitable investment, up to a certain number — say oue 
sheep for every Ave acres of oi)en land, (u- two sheep on every acre of permanent pasture, 
presuuiing that the faruier will have other stock in proportion to the size of his farm. 

The cost of kee])ing sheep per annum is about |1.'25. The wool of one sheep of high 
grade will about pay for the keeping of two. Lambs are a clear profit, and the esti- 
mated cost f)f wool is below 10 cents per pound. The average yield of wo<d for im- 
l»roved lauds in this basin is between 7 and 8 ]>ounds. Nearly all the natives have 
disappeared froui this locality, and high grades have taken their place. Mutton 
sheep, near Nashville, good g'rades, bring in the market 5 cents per pound, gross; 
lambs, grade, i|;}.50 to $4.50. A large trade-in lanibs has been built up within a few 
years past. Hundreds of car-loads are shipped every spring from this basin to points 
North, and good prices lealized. Good sheep-farms can be bought in the basin for 
$20 to |i40 per acre, varying according to the situation and soil. 

Mr. Killebrew publishes a letter addressed to him by Mr. Tom Crutch- 
field, of East Tennessee, a successful sheep farmer, from which we quote 
the following : 

In 1834, I purchas m1 a lot of native ewes ; and was fortunate in getting the use of a 
superior Spauish Merino raui, bred by R. Peters, of Atlanta, Georgia, to cross upon 
thsui ; which cross gave great impi-ovement in carcass, forui, and fleece ; covering the 
naked places of the natives, and making the fleece much more dense, and the fiber 
finer aud stronger. 

I saved the e\ve lambs of the cross, and bred them to an improved Kentncky buck, 
bred by Robert W. Scott, of P^rankfort, Ky., which increased the size of carcass, and 
gave greater length and yield of wool. 

The ewe lambs of lier'get were bred to the best Cotswold buck I could procure, 
American breed and imported ; never using oue buck louger than two years, aud never 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 91 

breeding in and in. In the mean time, I have added to my flock, Aniorioan bred and 
imported Cotswold ewes, at heavy cost, breeding them to the same bucks. 

The imported and American-bred Cotswohls, and their offspring, are not superior, 
either in carcass or fleece, to those of my own breeding. I clipped samples of wool 
from Prince of Wales, an imported English-bred buck, and also from a ewe of my own 
breeding, which, through several generations, could be traced back through the Me- 
rino cross to the native". I sent these samples to my wool-merchants in Boston, Mass., 
with history, and requested their O]»inion of the wool, on its merits. Tliey pronounced 
the ewe's wool superior to the buck's. It was equally as good combing wool, 18 inches 
long ; was of finer and stronger fiber, soft to the touch, attributable to the shade of 
Merino in it. 

The effects of cross to the Spanish Merino, in fineness and softness of fiber, and den- 
sity of fleece, and strength of staple, remain for many generations. I cull my ewes 
annually, at shearing time, marking all that are deficient in form or fleece, or that are 
b(!coiuii'ig aged ; and set them apart with the wethers for mutton, which are sold the 
following spring, often taking a better price than ordinary sheep, because they gross 
less and are better mutton. 

I sold a lot last spring (fattened principally on grass) to the butchers of Chattanoo- 
ga, that averaged 136| pounds gross; having clipped an average of lOf p()un<ls of nice 
combing wool, which sold at 37 1- cents per pound. The price for tliem was (i cents per 
pound gross, netting me !|14 per head; while the market for ordinary mutton was 4 
cents. They grossed less than one-third, and were sold for 15 cents per pound net. 

Mr. John W. Boweii, of Smitli County, Tennessee, a blue-glass district, 
in a report to the Patrons of Husbandry, published in the Rural Sun, 
gives the experience of tarjners of the county in raising long-wooled 
Sheep. One farmer says: " My experience is that one acre of average 
pasture will feed three sheep. My sheep net nie always 50. per cent. I 
like the Leicester and Cotswold crossed ; I should prefer the Leicester." 
Another says : "• Two dollars on the sheep, alter deducting- all expenses 
of every kind, is the least any one ought to expect as the annual ])rolit. 
As to breeds, I like the Leicester best, the Cotswold next, and the Soutit 
down next." 

Even in countries so fixvorably situated as Tennessee and Kentucky, 
the culture of the long-wooled sheep can be profitably carried on only 
as an adjunct to other husbandry. The agricultural commissioner of 
Tennessee gives this sensible advice : 

Farmers, as a rule, should not go into sheej^-husbaudry to the neglect of other things. 
Let sheep l>e one of the products of the farm, not the ouly ])roduct. A few sheep, well 
cared for, will prove profitable to every farmer; while a large flock would become, in 
nine cases out of ten, a source of annoyance and expense. The object of this i)aper is 
to show the profitableness of sheep-raising on a small scale. I do not advise the keep- 
ing of large flocks by the generality of farmers. If every farmer should carry a small 
flock, breeding up tlie natives to high graies, the profits would be very much increased. 

We agree so heartily with this opinion that we hesitate to recommend, 
at i)resent, the introduction on a large scale, even in districts favorably 
situated, of another race producing combing wool and mutton, the 
(,'heviot, which has received scarcely any attention in this country. The 
exceeding hardiness of this race, which, according to British writers, 
•' is certainly the most convenient sheep, as he will thrive anywhere, on 
nnich or little, in mountain storm or by dreamy mansion" ; the acknowl- 
edged fact that, of all English races, ''the Cheviot has the best general 
mutton and wool"; the fact that the county of Northumberland, the 
home of the race, containing 1,250,000 acres, and having one sheep to 
every one and a quarter acres, has a physical aspect corresponding to 
regions in the Blue Ridge and Tennessee, being largely occupied with 
mountains riging- to a height of 2,000 feet, has led to the opinion that 
the Cheviots are peculiarly adapted to the slopes and plateaus, or table- 
lands, of the Blue Ridge and the Cumberland Mountains. One intelli- 
gent correspondent. Colonel Watts, of South Carolina, speaking of sheep 
adapted to the Blue Ridge region, says : "I should also strongly recom- 



92 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

mend the Cheviot, so successful in the districts of England and S(;ot- 
land, of similar altitude and climate." We know nothing to opi)ose this 
opinion, which appears quite reasonable. But no experiments liave yet 
been made with the Cheviots in these localities ; nor have any judiciously 
conducted exi)eriments with the native or Merino slieep, in hirge Hocks, 
been made. There have been several attempts at sheep-growing on a 
large scale, on the Cumberland table-land, at an elevation of 2,000 feet, 
where, in the summer months, the land is covered with tussocks of nu- 
tritious mountain grass, furnishing a sufficient sustenance for eight 
months in the year. As no attention was given to ])roviding forage in 
the winter for these flocks, the enteri)rise, of course, ignominiously failed. 

For the benefit of those who may possibly contemj)late a trial of the 
Cheviots, it may be said that, in the counties in-England and Scotland 
producing these sheep, the sheep-fjirms are commonly about 2,000 acvi-es 
in extent. In general, only a small jiart of the farm is culti^'ated (rarely 
more than 50 to 100 acres), and that only for winter food for the sheep. 
Although bred in purely pastoral regions, they are grown primarily for 
mutton, which, when fattened, is held in the highest estimation. The 
breeder in tJie monntains, however, rarely fattens his sheep or lambs for 
market. They are turned over, at different ages in different districts, 
to be fattened by the farmer of the aruble lands and lower and richer 
jiastures. In the more southerly counties the increase of a flock of a 
thousand sheep is sold as lambs. Their sale, with the fleeces, makes the 
whole return of the flock. But the culture of flocks of this or any other 
race, on a large scale, upon the elevated regions of the South, cannot be 
recommended at present. It nuist be the outgrowth of a general and 
more modest system of sheep husbandry. 

We must not pass from the mutton-sheep without reference to a race 
which seems to be peculiarly adapted to the South, and is hardly 
knoAvn at the North: Ave refer to the broad-tailed sheep of Africa and 
Asia Minor. Colonel Watts, of South Carolina, the most experienced 
flock-master of that State, recommends the culture on the rich bottom- 
lands of the southern coast of the African broad-tail, or a cross with the 
Cotswokl. After speaking of the rf(;tua.l tests which he had made of all 
the principal wool and mutton breeds, including the one last mentioned, 
he says: "If the principal object should be to raise mutton for the nuir- 
ket, I would certainly recommend the African broad-tailed sheep, be- 
cause they mature earlier. * * * Were the question one of long- 
cambing wool, I would cross the Cots wold ewes with the African broad- 
tailed ram, for all the range of country this side of the Blue Eidge." 
These statements are exceedingly interesting. They show the possession 
of a resource for mutton and wool at the South not generally sup[)osed 
to exist in this country. This race is the oldest known. It is the sheep 
of Syria and the Bible, the race to which belonged the Paschal lamb, 
and should be cherished for its associations, if for nothing else. But 
travelers s[)eak of the flesh of the auiaial, when well bred and fed, as 
"superior to that of any breed on the face of the earth." Its wool fur- 
nishes that strong and bright flber found in the rich Persian and Turk- 
ish carpets. It is a natural combing wool; and the cross referred to 
might impart brightness and strength of sta])le to the Cotswold fleece. 

The Angora fjoat. — -Our Southern correspondents, Mr. Peters and Mr. 
Watts, give us some original contributions in relation to the culture of 
the Angora goat, derived from their own exjjerienoe, which show that 
the mountain r.inge of the Blue Ridge is peculiarly adapted to this inter- 
esting lanigerous animal. Before quoting from these gentlemen, we may 
appropriately show the uses to which the fleeces of the Angora goat may 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 9S 

be applietl, as stated in the report of tlie judges ou wool at the Interna- 
tional Exhibition of 187(3: 

Mohair, tbe fleece of the Augora goat, is not a mere substitute for wool, but oeen- 
pit'S its own pbice in tbe textile fabrics. It has tbe aspect, feel, and luster of silk, 
without its suppleness. It differs materially from Avool in tbe want of tbe felting 
(piality, so that tbe stuffs made of it have the fibers distinctly separated, and are 
nhvays l)rilliaut. On account of tbe stiffness of the tiber it is rarely woAcn alone; 
that is, when it is used for tbe tilling, the warp is usually of cotton, silk, or wool, or 
tbe reverse. Tbe distinguisbing (pialities of tbe tiber are luster, elasticity, and won- 
derful durability. Tbe qualities of luster and durability particularly tit this uuiterial 
for its chief use — tbe numufacture of Utrecht velvets, commonly called "furniture 
l)Iush,"the finest qualities of which are com])osed itrincipally of mohair, the pile being 
formed of mohair warps, which are cut in the same manner as silk warps in velvets. 
ITpon ])assing tbe bnger lightly over tbe best Utrecht \elvets, the rigidity and elas- 
ticity of the fiber will be distinctly perceived. The fiber springs back to its original 
nprightm'ss when tbe pressure is removed. Tbe best mohair plushes are almost in- 
destructible, and are now in general use by all ])rincipal railroads as the most endur- 
ing of all coverings for railroad seats. The English have attained the greatest success 
in spinning mohair, and the French and German manufacturers use English yarns. 

* * * Another analogous application of mohair is for forming the j)i]e of imitation 
seal-skins. Some of these fabrics, exhibited by manufacturers of Huddersfiebl, En- 
gland, were of striking beauty, tbe resemblance to seal-fur being quite striking. 

* * * Mohair forms an essential uuiterial for tbe best carriage^ and lap ntbes, with 
a long and lustrous pile. Some exhibited were nuide to resemble the skins of tigers, 
leopards, and other animals. * * « Another application of nuduiir is for the fabri- 
cation of braids for binding, which have tbe luster of silk, but far greater durability. 

* * * Still another inq)ortant application of this material is the fabrication of black 
dress goods, resembling alpacas, tbe mohair being woven with cotton Avarps. They 
are called nmhair lusters or brilliantines. Beautiful exhibits of this admirable fabric 
were made by the Arlington Mills and tbe Farr Al])aca Company of Massachusetts. 
Mohair is also used in France in the manufacture of laces, which are substituted for 
tbe silk laces of Valenciennes and Cbantilly. 

So numerous are tlie applications of this material, that, so soon as a 
sufficient domestic supply is assured, the manufacture Avill have a great 
extension in this country, furnisliing a home market for all that can be 
produced; although it must be admitted that its use at present is com- 
paratively small. The total production of mohair in the world, as shown 
by the imports into Europe (a very little as yet being imported into this 
country) in 1876, was, according to the Messrs. Burnes, four and three- 
fourths millions. Formerly it Avas all produced in Asia Minor. Ee- 
cently the Angora, goat has been acclimatized in the colony of the Cape 
of Good Hope, which exported in 1870 one and a quarter million pounds : 
a fact which stimulates growers here. The average price last year was 
37 pence, about twice that of the best Lincoln hogget wool. That of 
alpaca fell as Ioav as 20.} pence. The Angora, therefore, is by tar the 
most valuable of all lanigerous animals ; not even excepting the famous 
Cashmere goat, which produces only two or three ounces, to the animal, 
of the pushm, or fine avooI used for making India shawls. 

As to the ada])tability of the culture of this invaluable animal to the 
elevated regions of the South, Mr. Peters says : 

I have owned these animals (Angora goats) from six distinct importations ; those 
brought over by Dr. J. B. Davis, in 1848, proving to be superior in nmny respects to 
any of tbe more recent importations. One of the most valuable, interesting, and re- 
markable traits of the Angoras is the rapidity with Avbicli fleece-bearing goats can be 
obtained by using thorough-bred bucks to cross on the comnum short-horned ewe- 
goats of the country. The second cross produces a goat with a skin valued for rugs, 
mats, and gloves. The fifth cross (known by nuiny breeders as full blood) will yield 
a fleece not inferior to much of the mohair iniporte(i from Asia Minor. Tbe fifth cross 
can be readily obtained in five or six years. Thorough-bred Inicks .should always be 
used, because tbe progeny of the so-called "full-blood" Itucks vary greatly, anil the 
njiward ])rogress is by no means satisfactory. The Angora is a hardy, industrious, and 
self-sustaining animal, and can be classed as herbivorous. Being active and vigorous, 
they roam over Avide ranges of country, giving value to Avorthless vegetation refused 



94 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

by most other animals ; aufl will feed aii»l fatten at donltle the distance from water 
that sheep can, as they travel faster and endure more. I liave for twenty years bred 
them largely, and have observed the followins;' rules in my selection of stock bucks: 

In pedigree, dating back to Asiatic importation. 

In fleece, weight and length of the long, silky, ringleted, white fleece, and its free- 
dom from kemp, and mane on the back and neck. 

In form, size and vigor, long, pendant ears, and upright, spiral horns. 

If that point has not been already reached, I believe it will be, when (as in the his- 
tory of the Merino shee])) liner specimens of the Angora, American bred, may be seen 
here than can be found in their haunts in Asia Minor. 

I have had great success with the Angoras, and regard them as one of the most val- 
uable acquisitions to the resoui-ces of our husl)an(iry. They have yielded me more 
substantial pecuniary benefit than any branch of my extended stock investments. In 
1861, 1 sent out to William M. Landrum, of California, the first Angoras that went thei'e ; 
Avhere they have laid the foundation of what, I am confident, will be a vei'v extensive 
and profitable hushaudry. There can be no doubt that, in the range of the Blue Ridge, 
extending from Alabama to Virginia, they would find all- the reciuirements of tlieir 
nature, utilize a vast country, and prove a source of great benefit and profit to all 
interested. 

Colonel Watts, on tlie same subject, uses these words : 

Let me say, in view of the industrial wants of the country, I think this last-named 
section of our State [South Carolina], the Blue Ridge Mountains, can, with modei-atc 
care and exiiense, most successfully^ find ;ill tlie facilities needed for the Ix'st coni])ing 
wools and the Alj)aca and Angora goat. In fact, I have no doubt on this point. Even 
here, 75 miles from the mountains, I have, for six years, grown most successfully the 
Angora goat; whose flesh I regard as superior to any nnitton, and whose fleece, prop- 
erly handled, could there be made more i>rofital)le than any wool-growing. This I can 
say from actual, careful experience with Angoras of the Asia Minor stock, meeting here 
few obstacles to their profitable breeding; and which, in the Blue Ridge beyond me, 
would find an exact counterpart of their native soil and climate. 

Aside from their flesh and wool, there is another advantage which they offer, which, 
in the mount ains beyond, would be most valuable. In a cross 1 have made with a 
pure Angoi-a buck and a Maltese ewe-goat, I have i-alsed a ewe-goat thai will give 
four quarts of as good milk as any cow on my plantation. The feed of one of my cows 
will keep twelve goats. My cows must have certain food, or they will not thrive. 
My goats will eat anything almost, and do well; and with this advantage, also, that 
their milk and butter are not in any way attected by their diet. 

It is not, therefore, at all an open question with me, after years of practical expe- 
rience, whether the Angora and kindred racers of the goat tribe Avould thrive on our 
Blue Ridge. They would be more profitable in that locality than any other hus- 
bandry. 

In confirmation of the value of one fact, amons: many others, men- 
tioned by Colonel Watts, it may be remarked that the reports of the 
Society of Acclimation of Fran(;e, u]ion this animal, dwell specially upon 
the importance of givinij milk-producin"' qualities to the An, ijora; as, 
with this quality, and the value of its fleece, the Angora would wholly 
rejilace the common goat. 

Mr.. F. S. Fulmer, of Spring Mills, Appomatox County, Virginia, 
writes us : 

My Angora goats, fifty in number, pure bred, got their living all last summer in a 
pasture where grass (other than broom-straw) and clover never grows. So far this 
winter I ha^'e fed them nothing but coarse corn-stalk. In fact, up to this time, they 
have kept in a thriving condition almost entirely on .acorns, of which they seem very 
fond. I treat them as to shelter, &c., just as I would sheep, except I am rather more 
careful to kee]) them out of cold rains [an important observation]. From my exjx'- 
rience, I am led to conclude that the Angora goat, aside from first cost, can be made 
to pay better than sheep, especially in the Southern States, where they can have large 
ranges over y)oor land. 

The cidtnre of this animal is now receiving mncli attention in the 
Australian colonies. Mr. Samnel Wilson, wiio is said to have had ex- 
ceptional o])portnnities for observation, in a paper read before the Vic- 
torian Zoological Society, says : 

Some think the preferable ])]an of starting a flock of Angoras is to commence with 
afew^^Mrfi goats, and trust solely to their increase. By this process, considerable 
time must elapse before a large number could be raised; while, by conunencing with 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 95 

the common goats, yon can obtain, by crossing, in six yeans, ji valnable flock, only 
limited by the nnnil>er of common goats procnred at the commencement of the opera- 
tions. It is urged, as an objection to this system, that you can never reach absolute 
purity. Theoretically this "is self-evident; but ]n-actically you can eliminate every 
trace of base blood. By constant use of pure sexes, and l)y judicious selection, a 
standard would be reached at least as pure and as certain to breed pure to type as that 
of the improved Leicester sheep, the modern fox-hound, or what we call the "thor- 
oughbred" horse. 

The writer of this paper has, for a long- time, made a special study 
of the Angora goat. In 1S(»9 lie prepared an elaborate essay on the 
subject, which was published in the Proceedings of the Boston Society 
of Natural History, and subsequently was translated and published in 
the Transactions of the Royal Agricultural Society of France. In that 
essay he held the view that the characteristic qualities of the fleece 
could not be secured by breeding the Angora on the comuion goat. 
This opinion he has been compelled to modify. While bebeving, AAith 
Mr. Peters and Mr. Wilson, that a pure-blooded sire should be always 
nsed, he nuist admit that good tieece-producing animals may be founded 
on the common goat. The conclusive fact establishing this is the state- 
ment of the Messrs. Bowes, in their statistics of wool for 1878 — a very 
high authority. They say : 

We may refer to the acclimatization, in the Cape of Good Hope, of the Angora 
goat, on which nudiair is grown. Tiie progress made during the last dozen years has 
been very satisfactory, not only as regards the quantity pniduced, but the quality, 
which has been very much improved. The tirst shipment made was in 18i)5, and con- 
sisted of 6,804 pounds; in 1869,245,000 ])ounds were shipped, and in 1876 the quantity- 
reached 1,298,455 pounds. 

This great quantity could not have been grown npon pure animals, 
as they could not haAC been procnred. Ii must have been the jnoduct 
of graded animals. The best test of the value of this product is that it 
has become a regular commercial article. These facts, and the experi- 
ence of the Soutliern gentlemen whom we have quoted, place it beyond 
doubt that the culture of the Angora goat can be made a most remuner- 
ative industry at the South. 

TEXAS. 

The sheep hnsbandry of this State is so distinct in its character from 
that pursued or feasible in the older States of the South, and is of such 
higli importance, that it demands a se])arate consideration. The esti- 
mated number of sheep in this State, in January, 1878, was o,r)74,700. 
It ranks at present as the third wool-i^roducing vState in the Union, 
although having bnt about a hundred thousand head less tluin Ohio, 
Avhich has 3,78o,0()0, and about half the number of California, which 
has (),5G1,0()0 head. 

In its adaptation for sheep husbandry on a large scale, Texas pos- 
sesses decided advantages over our other Southern States, enormous 
ones over the Northern and Eastern States, and many o\'er California 
and the trans-Missouri regions. The cheapness of land, its natural fer- 
tility, its genial climate and exemption from teui])estuous weather, ex- 
cept in the northers, whose scAcrity is generally much exaggerated; the 
absence of seasons of continnous drought, owing to the iutiuence of the 
Gulf before referred to; tlu^ ])ossession of permanent winter grasses, 
making the pasturage perennial, are advantages which will make Texas 
one of the great wool-producing countries of the world. Dr. IJandall 
said, in 1859, of regions of Texas which he had thoroughly studied: 

I do not entertain a particle of doubt that wool can he raised mon^ cheajdy in those 
regions than in any other portion of the globe where go<Hl government prevails, to 



96 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

make life tolerahle and secure, and sncli property as slieep safe from freqnent and ex- 
tensive depredations. In no such pfirtion are lands fnruisliing perennial i)asturage, 
or the use of such lauds, so cheap. In none are general circumstances more favorable, 
the accidental and occasional disadvantages so few. 

Upon its annexation to the United States, in 1845, Texas retained, as 
the mowst vahiable, though tlien little appreciated, relic; of the former 
Mexican proprietors, scattered here and there, flocks of the so-called 
"iiative" sheep of Mexico, of which large flocks still abound in that 
country, and which still furnishes an easy sux)ply of all that are needed. 
This race, greatly cleteiiorated by neglect, small in size, and bearing 
about two jxjunds of coarse wool, is supposed by many to be degenerated 
Merinoes. It is now well established that they are descendants from the 
Chourra race of Spain, even at present distributed in all parts of that 
kingdom — a race distinguished for its robust temperament, the facility 
with which it is nourished, and its resistance to hunger and tempestu- 
ous seasons. When the animals are properly fed and bred, they may be 
made to produce a long 'and very white, though coarse, wool, well 
adapted for car])ets. This is the stock which was the original founda- 
tion of the present Texas flocks. 

The flrst recognized improver of these sheep, and therefore the founder 
of the present siiee}* husbandry of Texas, was G. W. Kendall, who had 
been an editor of a leading paper in New Orleans. He was the tirst to 
conceive the idea of ingrafting the Merino stock upon the native Mex- 
ican sheep. His experiments were attended with extraordinary success. 
He was, in his time, the largest wool-grower in the State. "Braunfels" 
(his establishment), about twenty miles northeast from San Antonio, 
will take its place in the history of sheep husbandry witli "Camden," 
the initial ])oint from which the sheep husbandry of Australia spread. 
Mr. Kendall did for Texas what Captain McArthur did for Australia. 
They were the great benefactors of their respective countries. The 
journalism of America can cite no better example of the influence of 
that great profession than the results achieved by the jouriuilist, Ken- 
dall. 

We regret that, with all our efforts, we have been unable to obtain 
condensed original statements in legard to the sheep husbandry of 
Texas, like those so kindly furnished us by Mr. Peters and Colonel Watts 
in relation to (xeorgia and South Carolina. In their absence we must 
content ourselves mainly with giving extracts from the Texas corre- 
spondents with the Department of Agriculture. Although fragmentary 
in their character, they will, perhaps, i)resent a more exact i)icture of 
the general sheep husbandry of the State than could be given by more 
elaborate and better-arranged statements. 

We give the extracts at hazard, an<l without reference to the geo- 
graphical position of the counties, or their bearing upon any particular 
question in sheep husbandry. In order to preserve the ]>uiuancy of the 
statements, the exact language of the corres])ondents is given in all 
cases. The correspondents, it will be remembered, are selected by the 
department from the most intelligent agriculturists residing in the sev- 
eral counties. 

A corresi)ondent from Palo Pinto County writes : 

A sheep-raiser for several yeai's says : Say for 1,(100 head it will cost .$300 for herding ; 
extra help in lambing time, f^O; salt, $15 ; cost of shearing, $50 ; feed during winter, 
$200. We imagine tlie Geoi-gia bureau of agriculture knows but little about large 
herds of slice]), as they are grown on prairie grass. They arc accustomed to herds of 
from 10 to 100 bead. Such tlocks arc not necessary to be herded, and yield a hue proht. 
If we make it a s]ie<ialty, and put r;00 to 1,000 in a herd, which is common here, they 
Avill not pay so well. The hgures made on ]iaper will show them to ]><ay better than 
anything else, but a very little experience shows the ligures quite an error. Small 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 07 

herds here will pay very well, aud much better thau large, wheu they are so large as 
to reipiire a herder. 

Nfivarro Count!/. — "I have Ijeeu engaged," says the correspondent, ''in sheep-raising 
for fourteen years. In this and all the old settled prairie counties, 300 to 400 sheep 
do well. Oue hundred per cent, gross i)rofit is a fair statement. The profit diminishes 
10 per cent, per 100 head as you go over 100. My tlock has ranged from 300 to 1,000. 
I put up annually 100 pounds of i)rairie hay and one bushel of cotton seed to the sheep, 
and have good shelter provided." 

Goliad CoiDitj). — This correspondent, Hon. Prior Lea, the writer has the pleasure of 
knowiug personally to be entitled to great confidence "Cost and profit of growing 
wool may be estimated in two ways. Crediting increase of shee.]) as equal to all cost, 
the wool would be net profit, and this, at least, is claimed by many persons. Without 
crediting increase for more than enough to maintain the fiock e([ual to its primitive 
condition, a practical estimate for cost, considering every kind of item, might be from 
10 to 12 ceuts per pound of unwashed wool, averaging 17 cents in market. This latter 
mode gives broad margin for coutingencies." 

Brandon County. — " Cost of keeijiug sheep, about 25 cents per head; profit, 30 ceuts 
to §1, exclusive of increase." 

Another, same county: "One tlock of 800 cost, for shepherd and salt, |275 ; net 
])rofit, including wool aud increase, 31 per cent." 

Afansax County. — "Cost of keep, 10 per cent. ; profit, 50 to 60 i)er cent, on capital. 
Mr. P.'s tlock average 50 per cent, of its total value as profit. About 100,000 sheep in 
the coiuity, mostly improved Merinoes." 

Bexar County. — " One-half in fiirms under cultivation ; all the rest a complete past- 
ure. Sheep-raisers say this is the best couuty they ever saw." 

Callahan County. — " Flock of 2,000; 20 cents per head cost. Profit by wool, 40 cents 
]ier head." 

Fort Bend County. — "250,000 sheep could be raised in this county. One-quarter in 
cultivation. All the rest adapted for sheep-pasture, yet no sheep worth mentioning; 
all cattle and cotton. At close of war sheep-raising began to decline, owing to de- 
])reeiatiou of price of wool. A reaction has now taken place ; extensive pastures are 
jiow being inclosed; improved breeds are introduced." 

Kendall Counti/. — "Mr. B. has 1,000 head of sheep. Shears 5,000 pounds of wool; 
at 28 cents, $1,400; cost of keep, $325; profit, $1,075." 

Another, same county: "A successful sheep-raiser says: 'I commenced with 220 
ewes, three years ago ; aud have sold sufficient of the flock to make an increase of 100 
]»er cent, per vear, average; aud the wool has averaged for that time from 75 cents to 
$1, annually.'" 

Lavaca Comity. — " Mr. S. B. M. has a flock of 1,500 head, let out to a herder on 
shares ; and, therefore, furnishes a pretty fair sample as to profits. He gives the 
herder one-quarter of the wool ami one-quarter of the annual increase, that is, the 
actual increase. He furnishes the salt, sheep dip, &c. The herder pays all other 
expenses, except shearing; and pays one-quarter of this amount. This makes the 
yield to the owner — 

For wool $800 00 

The increase of the flock will average 800 head ; which, at $1.50 

per lamb, in spring, makes lambs $1, 200 00 

Deduct from this $1/200, one-quarter to herder 300 00 

Winch leaves 900 00 



Leaving a balance as net jirofit, on oue flock, of 1, 700 00 

or al)out $1.1:{ per head on the entire flock." 

Xueces County. — Tliere are several reports from this, the leading wool-i)roducing 
county in the State. 

One correspondent says: " Sheep husbandry is the leading industry; and a higher 
degree of intelligence is devoted to it than to any other enterprise in the county." 

Another says : " I would estimate the cost of keep and profits on the sheep (Spanish 
Merino) as follows: 

1 two-year-old ewe cost $5. 

Dr. I Cu. 

To interest, one year, at 12 percent. $0 60 ! By 5i pounds wool, at 20 cents $1 10 

To cost of feed, herding, .salt, &c... 1 00 j By 75 per cent, oflamb, at $4 3 0(» 

To buck service 40 | 

To insurance 10 I Total 4 10 

To shrinkage in value 70 I Less cost of keep .., 2 80 



Total 2 80| 130 

Per cent, of profit, 25. 
S. Ex. 25 7 



98 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

"My own flock, now numbering 1,700, started 460 iu 1873 (Merinocs and Cotswokl 
grade), lias paid above per cent, of profit, or more." 

Anotlier careful correspondent from the county of Nueces says : "Earns have been 
imported in large numbers. Improvement is already far advanced. Flocks are shel- 
tered from November 15 to February 1, by selecting their range- and night-cam]) on 
the south side of some creek or prairie timber. There is no foot-rot. Semi-anmuil 
lambing is generally adopted in this county ; the February or spring crop being always 
the most preferable. One set of ewes lamb in the spring, and another set in the fall. 
Those who shear the liest and most desirable cli^is of wool handle their sheep in mod- 
erately large flocks of 1,000 to 1,'<^00 head. Provision is only made for select sheep, 
Buch as rams. Average Aveight of fleece, 5 pounds. Average cost of keeping, 25 to US 
cents. Profit, 72 to 75 cents. Where dipping has to be added, the general expenses 
will be '.i to 4 cents per head. Good tobacco, liberally used, invariably cures the scab; 
all other preparations have failed in this county. Profits on wool only given, as pro tits 
from increase are rarely turned into cash. Ewe lambs of high grade sell readily for 
$2.50 to $4 per head. The cost of keei)ing, where the shepherd cares for only 1,000 
sheep, is the cost given; where he cares for 1,500 to 2,000, as many do the year round, 
the real cost is iiroportionably less." 

The iniinber of slieep in this county, according to the returns of assess- 
ors, is 050,000; and the remarkable fact is presented to us, that very 
nearly the most southerly country of the whole United States is the 
banner slieex^ county of the Union. The adjoining county, Starr, has 
184,000 sheep. And these two counties have more sheej) than the four 
States of the South — Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana — 
together; or the conjoined States of the North — Ne\y Ham])shire, Ver- 
mont, Massachusetts, and Ehode Island. 

One of our own correspondents, certified to as one of the oldest and 
best citizens of Texas, writes us as follows : 

Waco, McLellax Couxty, Tex., Januari/ 12, 1878 
Sir : I have been directly or indirectly interested in wool-groAving in this State and 
Bectiou for many years. The country is rolling ]»rairie land ; the soil, l)]ack, waxy, 
and, in sections, quite sandy, ami an excellent grazing ccmutry. The natural grasses 
are the sedge and mesquite ; of the latter, three varieties — the best, the bearded 
variety. My Hocks have been French and Spanish Merinoes, mixed; the average i)ro- 
duct of fleece being six pounds, at an average valuation, for five years, of 25 cents per 
pound. This can be produced under favorable circumstances for 16 cents net cost to 
the shepherd; but he should have not less than the 10 cents profit added, to make a 
paying investment. If there is no change in our duties, I am confident that there is 
no 'more promising industry in the country than wool-groAving ; but, if we are to have 
reduced duties, or free wools, the occupation Avill have to l)e abandoned. 

There is iio objection to slieep from any section of the North or West, if free from 
disease. For the ordinary avooIs, I Avould ])refer the Merino; for mutton or coml)ing- 
wools, a cross of the Cotswold with pure-blood Merinoes. The country is uniformly 
healthy for slu'cp here. In three months of the Avinter the sheep should have siune 
feed — say one-third of their consumption. I Avould say that 65 cents a head would 
cover every possible contingency or cost in sliee)» husbandry, per annum, in this sec- 
tion. As i have said, if the farmers are to keep the ])rotecti()U they now have against 
the producers of foreign avooIs, there is no more protitablci industry that any one Avho 
will put his attention to the business can be engaged iu. 
Yours, truly, 

W. R. KfiLLUM. 

Another of our own correspondents writes as follows : 

HousTOX, Tex., Janvarii 9, 1878. 

Dear Sir : I have had long experience in slieep husbandry in the San Joaquin 
and Santa Barbara country," and also iu l>os Angeles, Cal. I knoAV Avell Colonel 
Hollister, Mr. Dibbles, of California, and other prominent Avool-growers there. I Avas 
also for a lime in Utah ; also, in Western T<'x;is, Avhich I regard :is the best country 
for the industry with Avhich I am ac(]uainted, if life and property weni only secure 
against Mexican depredations. The climate, for man and beast, is unrivaled; the feed 
rich and unfailing all the year round. No country I knoAV of could so well sustain the 
large flocks which, from various causes, are being broken up in California. 

In a i)arallel drawn north from Laredo to the Indian Territory, there is tlie best loca- 
tion for the industry, in my Judgment, in the country. But, until Uncle Sam Avill 
protect us there, the life of the shepherd and his flocks are in (;onstant jeopardy from 



SIIEEP-HUSBANDEY. 99 

the Jloxicans. Tlioso tliicves ;ni<l iiiaranders ojierate in a regularly systematic way. 
being fitted out and eneouraged by tlie wealtliy ^Mexicans living on or near the border, 
Avho for years have been at tiie bottom of all the border troubles, from their desire for 
annexation to this country. Their }»urpose constantly is to provoke a war, believing 
the result will be annexation, when they will then have a stable government, which 
th<>y know they never will have under any Mexican leader. * * * 

There are other very fine fields for this industry near C<n-pus Christi, San Antonio, 
north and south of Dallas; but the finest section in this country, in my judgment, 
must remain idle, unless, as I have said, the government will give protection. 

S. W. PIPKIN. 

Statements of Mr. Shaeffer. — After the above notes had been put in 
press, the writer enjoyed the pi-ivilej^e of several personal interviews at 
Washington Avith Mr. F. W. Shaeft'er, of San Diego, Tex., commended 
by members of the delegation in Congress from Texas as the highest 
authority on sheep-growing in that State. The following notes, which 
this gentleman permitted us to take at these interviews, will serve to 
give a much more exact idea of the present condition and resources for 
sheep husbandry in Texas than the notes before given. 

Uur informant, born in Ohio, was early in life engaged in mercantile 
pursuits in the city of New York. Finding them uncongenial, he em- 
barked in sheep husbandry in Texas, about the year 1857, settling in 
the higher region of the State, north of San Antonio. The foundation 
of his flocks, which now number 15,000 head, was sheei) purchased be- 
fore the war from a brother of General Beauregard, supplemented since 
the war by 1,500 breeding ewes, obtained from tlie estates of G. W. 
Kendall, identified with the introduction of improved sheep husbandry 
into Texas. Finding the climate in the high region where he was first 
established not as mild as he desired, he purchased lands in the more 
southerly region of the State, about fifty miles from Cor^jus Christi, in 
Nueces County, obtaining gradually about 80,000 acres; the whole of 
this great tract being inclosed in one vast pasture by a wire fence, which 
cost upward of $10,000. Here he found the climate so mild that the 
sheep thrive absolutely without shelter. He regards it as necessary 
oidy to keep the sheep fat and in good condition, to enable them to 
resist without inconvenience the cold wind and rain of that climate. 
Even the shepherds have no shelter, except such as they may make 
with their blankets, and no means of warming themselves but a fire on 
the open ground. They suffer no inconvenience, however, from this 
exposure, and are always on hand to take care of their sheep. 

The sheep in this district are divided into single flocks of from 1,100 
to 1,300 in number — usually about 1,100 — this being about the number 
which can be advantageously kept together under the care of one shep- 
herd. The ewes, with their lambs, are kej)t separate from the dry ewes 
and the wethers, or muttons, as they are generally called. A thousand 
or eleven hundred sheep will "herd" or keep nearly together* within a 
space which the shepherd can easily move around. When driven out 
on the range from the camping-ground, they are kept constantly moving 
for a mile or two, the shepherd continually moving around the flock, 
which is guided by his voice. They snatch their bites of grass as they 
go slowly along. They return in the same way, slowly feeding, to the 

*Mr. Shaeffer gives a satisfactory reason for the fact, often stated without explana- 
tion, that the English races of sheep — the Cotswolds, Leicesters, «S:c. — cannot be kept 
in large flocks. The reason he gives is, that the Cotswolds will not "herd" or keep 
together like the Merinoes. While feeding, they invariably scatter over a wide d(»main. 
A Cotswold, if tired, will lie down and cannot lie driven up by the shepherd, and when 
it recovers is liable to wander otf and join another flock. Mr. Shaefler thinks that the 
Cotswold blood should never be introduced into large flocks of Merino sheep. With- 
out greater care in Itreeding than the ordinary flock-master can exercise, they will 
make the wool of the flocks uneven, and ultimately ruin them. 



100 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

caniping-gToiind, go.iierally selected on the soiitlierly side of some creek 
or under the shelter of the ])rairie tinibei*. In rainy or cold weather, the 
shec]) travel nincli more briskly than in warm. In very hot, dry weather, 
they often will not feed by day, making*- np for it by feediii,s>- late in the 
night. Thoroughbred shepherd-dogs have been tried, but have been 
found useless, except to relieve lazy shepherds, who can do the necessary 
guiding nnich better than the dog. The flocks, however, are usually 
attended by cur dogs, which are useful for frightening away wild animals. 
These curs having been suckled when young uj)on goats, continue to 
attach themselves to the flock. The shepherd-dogs were discarded, be- 
cause it was found that when they drove the sheep they caused them to 
huddle together, thus making a great loss of teeding time. It is of the 
tirst importance to keep the animal fat. Its fat condition not only makes 
the fiber strong, but enables the sheei> to resist the storms and cold. If 
sheep are fat, they are also better able to endure occasional droughts. 
All the sustenance in the country in question is supi)lied by the natural 
I)asturage, which consists of different varieties of the mesquite grass. 
A great superiority of these grasses over the annual grasses of California 
(Consists in their being perennial, and having long and stout roots which 
<.'annot be pulled up by the sheej) nor trodden down. Although the 
grass may be apparently dry during a drought, after a rain it becomes 
])erfectly green in a week or ten days. The rams, it may be observed, 
except when they range with the ewes, are confined in inclosed pastures. 
They receive in winter extra forage, either cotton-seed (which is consid- 
ered nu)re nourishing than grain) or, more generally, oats. A new vari- 
ety of oats has recently been grown in Texas, called the "anti-rust." 
This variety has been known to produce as high as 100 bushels to the- 
acre, weighing o7 pounds to the bushel instead of 32. Through its intro- 
<luction, the price of oats has been reduced from about 70 or 75 cents to 
22 cents. It is sown in ISro\ ember and fed off during the winter, wliicli 
increases the crop of grain. This variety would be admirably adapted 
to the Georgia pine-lands for a winter forage for sheep. 

Although the original stock upon which Mr. Shaeffer's flocks were en- 
grafted was principally the native Mexican sheep, improved by Merino 
bucks, the Mexican blood has been so completely eradicated as to show 
no trace of its existence. The native Mexicans would weigh scarcely 
more than from .50 to 55 pounds, gross weight, and pi'oduce fleeces of 
]»oor wool, weighing about 2 pounds. Theimproved sliee}) of Mr. Shaeft'er 
average for the whole flock seven pounds of im washed fine wool. His 
wethers — or "muttons," to adopt the Texan term — will weigh, at four 
years old, 100 i)ounds gross weight. 

These sheep, which are of the best imjn'oved American INIerino stock, 
make excellent mutton. The mutton fed ui)on the mesquite grass never 
lias any of the rankness or muttony flavor peculiar to those sheep at the 
Xoi'th. A great number are now sent from Nueces and other counties 
in Texas to Saint Louis and Chicago, where they bring good jirices. 
They reach these markets before the Western slunq) are sheared and 
ready for the butcher; and they form an important source of sui)ply for 
these markets in the s])ring, coming in like tln^ Southern vegetables to 
our Northern markets. A notice has recently been i)ublished of the 
loading of ten double-decked cars, carrying 100 animals each, with shec]), 
at San Antonio, destined for the Chicago market, at a distance of 1,500 
miles. One flock of three-year old wethers was sold by Mr. Shaett'er for 
$3 a head, to a party who pastured them for two years in Texas, receiv- 
ing their wool for tJiis i)eiiod ; and who sent them to market in New Or- 



shp:ep-husbandry. 101 

loans, at five years old, Avbere tlieir fatness and the excellence of their 
meat was the snbject of general comment. Mr. Webster used often to 
say, at his dinner-tal)le, that he never knew the secret of making good 
mutton until he visited England, where he found that it was «//e, the 
best mutton being live years old. While the sheep increase but little in 
AN eight after the third year, the meat constantly improves in quality. 
It may be readily seen how easy it is to obtain good mutton where the 
food costs absolutely nothing, and almost the only cost of keeping the 
slieej) till full maturity is the interest of the capital, while the sheei> 
are all the time pioducing their semi-annual returns of wool. 

The flocks in this country are kept up l\v the constant purchase of 
legenerators. These are the rams raised in New York, Vermont, and 
Ohio by skilled breeders, Avho find this nuich more jn'ofitable than grow- 
ing large numbers of sheep for wool or mutton. A very large number 
of Northern rams are sold in Texas. Mr. Shaeffer has himself i)urchased 
o\er 800 at the North, many of them from Dr. Randall. There are at 
present five hundred rams in Corpus (^hristi; all which will be sold at 
prices ranging from $30 to $50, and very choice animals for $100. The 
Texas sheep-husbandry is thus the means of keeping nj) the most profit- 
able branch of sheej) culture at the North — a l)ranch which may be car- 
ried on u])on the highest-i)riced lands. The high-j)riced rams are ke}>t 
in Texas two or three years, and sold at a less i)rice to persons coui- 
mencing the sheep business with but little capital. 

It had been the custom for the Texan flock-masters to sell the high- 
bred rams ]»roduced from their own flocks only at the high prices de- 
manded by the Northern breeders. Mr. Shaelfer early saw that he could 
benefit his country better, and do as well for himself, by changing this 
system. lie found that the young men of his country going into the 
sheep business could not pay these high prices and make a living. He 
therefore reduced the prices of the high-bred rams which he had raised 
in Texas to fiom five to ten dollars, and sold a great many more by so 
doing. This had the eti'ect of greatly extending the improvement of the 
flocks in the country. Another step taken by him w^as im])ortaut for 
the development of the country in the direction of sheep-growing. Mr. 
Shaeft'er found that contests were constantly occurring between the 
cattle-herders and the shepherds. He therefore began gradually to 
purchase all the lands he reiiuired; his example was followed by others; 
and at present the greater part of the land in the sheep region is held in 
freehold hy the resi)ecti\'e flock-masters. 

There has now been so long and extensive an exx)erience in this 
country as to reduce the methods of the peculiar pastoral sheep-hus- 
bandry to a AA'ell-established system, which is so simple that it may be 
easily learned by any intelligent i>erson. The i)lant required for the 
l)usiness, except the first stock of ewes and lams, is exceedingly small. 
No buildings are required, if we except the covered platform for shear- 
ing. A rude cam]) is all that is necessary for the flock-master, and a 
wagon with a pair of horses for his supi)lies ; of course he Avill have a saddle- 
horse. The well -arranged ranelie is an aftei- luxury, to be earned by the 
profits of the enterprise. The aim is to have flocks of at least l,O0O«n 1,100 
head, for each of which one shepherd — invariably a native Mexican, 
called ii patitorc — is required. It is desirable that the juoprietor should 
have at least three flocks of this number. The se])arate flocks, each with 
its shepherd, are so located that they can he brought at night to a cen- 
tral camp, where the haccicrro, or sheep-overseer, also a native Mexican, 
is established. This overseer is necessary, in all cases, to relieve the 



102 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

sheplierds in case of aeeideiit, and to cook their rations. The haecierros, 
as a class, arc remarkable for their tidelity. Tlie impedimenta of the 
camp, if they may be called by this name, consist only of the rudest 
cooking- utensils and the stores of provisions, no shelter being re(piired, 
and the bed of the shepherd being a sheep- skin. The food or rations of 
the shepherd are corn for tortillas, or, sometimes, flour, coffee, and fresh 
meat, no jiork or bacon being- used. The fresh meat is almost invariably 
supplied by goats, which are pastured with the sheep for this purjiose. 
They cost about a dollar a head. Their flesh is excellent, and ])referred 
by the Mexicans to any other. The quantity of goats' meat which the 
pastore will consume is enormous ; the consumption being about one goat 
a week to the shei)herd. 

The shearing seasons are the busiest times for the Texan flock-master, 
not only on account of the nund)er of extra hands to be overlooked, but 
because upon the care exercised at these periods, in culling, depends the 
future character of the flocks ; and the tying up of tlie wool nicely is 
important for its sale. The shearings take place twice a year. The spring 
shearing- commences about April 15, and the fall shearing about Sep- 
tend>er 15. The shearings continue from three to four weeks, according 
to the weather. The practice of two shearings a year has been adopted, 
from the ex[)erience that it is most advantageous for the warm climate 
of Texas. It has been a mooted question whether there is more profit 
in shearing twice a year than once. By shearing tAvice, the wool, of 
coarse, is shorter; is fitted for only one purpose, that of clothing; and 
brings a less price per pound. The high prices of wools for combing 
purposes, for which uiany of the improved wools of Texas, if suffered 
to grow to their fall length, are well adapted, is lost, and there is the 
additional expense of the extra shearing. But, on the other hand, the 
sheep sheared twice a year are healthier and keep fatter, and the shear- 
ing checks the scab, if there is any tendency to this disease. The flock- 
master gets the money for his wool twice a year instead of once — an im- 
l)ortant consideration where the least rate of interest is one per cent, a 
month. The double shearing is espt cially advantageous to the lambs. 
By giving them their first shearing in August, to be repeated in the next 
spring, their health and growth are greatly promoted, and consequently 
the general increase of the flock. Mr. Shaeffer believes it would be ad- 
vantageous to shear the lambs tAvice, even at the North. Seeing the 
lambs in the flock of an eminent breeder in Missouri failing, Mr. Shaeffer 
recommended immediate shearing. The advice was followed, and all 
were saved ; one of these lambs (a ram), when grown, was afterward 
sold for $150. 

The shearing in Texas is all performed by Mexicans, from both sides 
of the river Bio Grande ; many coming in, for this purpose, even from 
as fiir as Monterey. They shear by the head ; the usual juifc being 
•f .'150 per hundred for fine sheep. The shearers average about thirty 
head a day. The shearing is performed on a floor or platform, espec- 
ially constructed for this purpose. The most careful flock-masters have 
this floor protected by a roof. The barn floors of the North, it must be 
remembered, are not known in Texas. In shearing, the Mexic<ais tie 
down the sheep upon the floor, usually about ten at a time. This time 
the flock-master improves for examining his sheep and the character of 
their fleeces. He selects those which are to be culled out on account of 
age or defects of fleece, or those which are to be preserved for special 
uses in breeding ; makes the proi)er marks upon the animals, duly en- 
tering them into Ijis sheej^-book. The wool from the sirring sheariug is 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 103 

tied np in fleeces ; tlie fall shearings, beings liglit, is put in sacks, without 
.being' tied. The packing the wool in sacks, although it cannot be dis- 
pensed Avith, is considered disadvantageous to the grower of the wools ; 
as wo(d from inferior fleeces, or an inferior part of the body, is liable to 
be mixed with better wool, and to i)i"PJ"dice the whole lot to the buyer. 
It is believed that a profitable enteri^rise, and one very advantageous 
to the Texan growers, would be the establishment in that country of ex- 
tensive wool-scouring establishments, like those in Belgium and France. 
The facilitj' of obtaining scoured wool would be advantageous to man- 
ufacturers with small capital and establishments, and in saving of 
freight. The sheei) in Texas, it must be observed, are never washed. 
The water is calcareous ; and i^erhajis contains iron, because it makes 
the wool black. 

Even with the rich pastures of Texas, it is deemed desirable to have 
at least two acres to everj^ sheep. It is of the first importance thafc 
the range should not be overstocked. A much larger range is required 
than in regular, iuv^losed pastures, over which the sheep scatter as soon 
as they are driven to them ; while in the open range, under the care of 
the herder, much of the grass is trodden down by the sheep passing; 
from one point to another in compact flocks from their sleeping grounds. 
The proportion of bucks required for the ewes is larger than in the 
Korth, as the bucks run with the ewes on the range about five weeks. 
Three bucks are required for every hundred ewes. The main lambing- 
takes place from February 20 to April 1. It is an interesting observation 
in regard to lambing, that it is attended with much less danger and diffi- 
culty where the shee])live in the natural state of wild animals, than under 
a more artificial system. This applies, also, to the general health of the 
animals. During the lambing season, in the evening- or next morning, 
after the flock of cants, with the laiubs dropped during the day — say 
from fifty to one hundred — are driven into the camping- ground, the 
ewes witii the newly dropped lambs are separated from the flock, and 
snflered to rest until the middle of the day, near the camping-ground. 
The next day, they are nu)ved to another camp-ground, to give place to 
tliose which come on that day; the last comers to join those which came 
on the pievious day. This continues until a flock of about 500 ewes and 
500 lambs is unide up, which is kept separate. It is not safe to calcu- 
late, one year Avith another, that the number of lambs raised Avill be 
more than eighty per cent, of the ewes. 

All the ewes which lose their lambs for any cause are turned in with 
bucks by the first of June, to land) in NoAcmber. 

Our infornumt has but little faith in estimates of profits, as the cir- 
cumstances A'ary so nuu'h in the situation of the establishment, and the 
l)ersonal and economical habits of the flock-master. He has consented, 
however, to make a statement of the necessary expenses and results, 
Avith one flock of 1,100 sheep, in one year. 

EXPENSES. 

Shepherds and Avages, at fill per month and rations 

Shearinj'- and snndry expenses at shearing-time 

Dii>ping for scab, four cents per head 

Sheep (lip for worms 

Extra labor 

396 00 

Salt is not required near the coast or Avith raesqnite grass. 



|;250 


00 


77 


00 


44 


00 


5 


00 


20 00 



1 04 SIIEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

RECEIPTS. 

1,100 sheep, at 5 poniifls per Lead, equals 5,500 pounds wool ; * 

at 20 ceuts per pound .20 

Cash receipts .$1,100.00 

$1, 100 00 

80 per cent, increase, 880 head, at $3 2, (540 00 

3,740 00 

Less expenses .$390 00 

Interest on .$5,000, at 12 per cent 600 00 

Eent of place 100 00 

1,096 00 
t 1,096 00 

2,644 CO 

111 this vStateuient tlie expenses of the overseer are not included. One 
is required, in all cases ; but one will suffice for three or four tiocks. It 
is best to start with 1,()00 head of ewes, because after lambing thej' can 
be divided into three tiocks of ewes with their lambs, with an exjiense 
of but one haceicrro and one camp, and three shepherds. At the end of 
five months the lambs are weaned and taken from their mothers. Then, 
until the next lambing time, which will take place in the succeeding 
March, the sheep can be well cared for by only tw o shepherds and one 
overseer, the ewes being in one flock and the lambs in another. 

The procedure and increase may be illustrated as follows: 

We will .suppose the new llock-master commences — 

October, 1876, with ewes 1,600 

March, 1877, the ewes produce 80 per cent, of lanihs 1, 280 

Sej)teniljer, 1877, weans the lanihs; places them in one flock, and the ewes in 
another, making only two flocks. 

March, 1878, there are ewes 1 , 600 

March, 1K78, there are yearlings; one-half ewes and the other half wethers .... l,28(t 
March, 1878, there are lambSj as 1877 1, 280 

Making four flocks ; three of ewes and lambs, and one of yearlings 4, 160 

October, 1878, there are breeding ewes 1, 600 

October, 1878, there are young ewes 640 

Total to go to ram in October 2,240 

March, 1879, there are wethers, two years old 640 

March, 1879, there are yearlings (ewes and wethers) 1, 280 

March, 1879, there are breeding ewes 2, 240 

March, 1879, there are lambs 2,240 

6, 400 

October, 1879, there are breeding ewes 2, 240 

October, 1879, there are yearling ewes 640 

Making number of ewes to go to ram 2, 880 

March, 1880, there are T)reeding ewes 2, 880 

March, 1880, there are lambs 2,880 

March, 1880, there are wethers, three years old 640 

March, 1880, there are wethers, two years ohl 640 

March, 1880, there are yearlings, ewes, and wethers 2, 240 

Total number March, 1880 9,280 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 105 

Advice to emigrants. — Tlie advpiitiirer from a distance, seeking to in- 
•vest in sheep-husbandry in Texas, is advised to proceed directly either 
to Corinis (Jhristi or San Antonio, from each of which points he can 
make observations with convenience, and obtain information as to de- 
sirable locations. He shonld spend tliree or four months looking around 
for a range. The ewes may l)e carried from the West or bought in Texas. 
]Mexican ewes can be purchased at 75 cents per head, and improved 
sheep for from $1.50 to $4. Texas raised rams can be bought for $10, 
and imi^orted rams for from $30 to $50. It would be more safe to rent 
a tract of land, which he can probably obtain at a very cheap ratte — say 
$100 per year for enough land to feed two flocks of sheep of l,10l> each. 
As he may not like the business or the locality, it would be more prudent 
at lirst not to purchase a range. If he is willing to incur gi-eater risks 
to secure the proprietorshij) of an extensive range at a moderate price, 
he may go higher into the country, where the land belongs to the State. 
A 040-acre certificate of State land can be bought for about $200, or a 
certificate of the alternate lands granted t(^ railroads as low as $100. 
Generally the exi)ense to secure a patent, including certificate and cost 
of surveying, would amount to about 50 cents to the acre. As two acres 
are required for a sheep, it will be seen, from the statement of increase 
before given, that the command of a very broad range is required to 
make the increase available ; and that, Avith such a command, there are 
chances for very large profits. The ad\'enturer, if he has a family, must 
place them in some of the towns or villages most convenient to his range. 
His ])ersonal presence on his range will be indispensable for his success, 
and he will find ample occupation. But he can safely trust the Mexican 
haceierros when making occasional visits to his family. 

The advantages of Texas for sheep-growing are now attracting persons 
of experience iii Australia and p]nglish and Scotch emigrants with capi- 
tal. Besides our informant with his 15,000 sheep, there are others in 
Nueces and Duval Counties with flocks often to twenty thousand head. 
The Callahan flock, in Star County, the proprietor living at Laredo, 
numbers sixty thousand head. When we see how rapid the increase-is, 
ami that there are 80,000,000 acres of land still unlocated in Texas, we 
can see that, if there is no legislation to disturb the wool business of the 
country, and the Mexican and the Indian depredations are checked, it 
Avill not be many years before Texas will rival Australia. Mr. Shaelier 
states, as an illustration of the rapidity with which sheep-husbandry is 
advancing in this State, that in 1870 San Antonio received Init 000,00(» 
l)ounds of wool, which is sent through Galveston. In 1877 she received 
2,000,000 ])(muds. The wool of Nueces and the neighbin-ing counties is 
shipped from Corpus Christi. In 1800 there were sliipi»ed only 000,000 
l>ouiids. Q'his year there Avill be shipped (5,500,000 ])ounds. 

The following statement, illustrative of the ])roHts which may be de- 
rived from sheep-growing in Texas, Avas made to us by Col. John S. 
Ford, a State senator, ami formerly a member of the congress of Texas 
before annexation. We give it exactly in the language of Colonel Ford, 
as noted by us and subsequently read to him : 

Pr. Tluimas Kearney, formerly eollector of custoiiis of the port of Corpus Cliristi, 
and Major James Carr, made in 1H7(» or 1872 an investment of $5,000 in shee])-lins- 
liandry ; l»onght ranch and bnihlinus ahont sixty miles nortlnvest from Laredo. Wehh 
Connty, Texas, the land about i:i,000 aeres and the shee]> well imjiroved. At the eud 
of live vears Dr. Kearney sohl out his interest to Carr, that is, one-half interest, for 
$20,000.' In August, 1877, Carr refused a |60,(100 oiler, which he hail from William 
Votuus, for his sheep ranch with the sheep; the exact I'acts being that Votaus otfered 
§30,0(10 in cash and one of the best-improved places ou the San Antonio Kiver, which 
hail cost him about .$60,000. 

Mr. Shaeffer says that Carr ought to have taken the offer. 



106 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Colonel Ford full}" confirms the statements about the Mexican and 
Indian depredations, before made, whicli extend as far as a hundred miles 
from the Kio Grande. There is no necessity for this confirmation, how- 
ever, to any one Avho will read the exhaustive reports i)repared by Mr. 
Schleicher, of the Texas delegation, in Congress. Colonel Ford says 
that the Mexicans do not run the sheep off, because the sheep cannot be 
made to travel fast enough ; but they kill the shepherds. 

Obstacles to sheep f/roH-iiuj hi Texas. — Conversations with many intelli- 
gent Texans, and the x)erusal of many documents relative to Mexican 
outrages, have led us to fully adopt the oi)inion expressed by one of our 
(correspondents, that the most formidable obstacle to the almost indefinite 
extension of sheep-husbandry in Texas is the liability of the territory 
to Mexican and Indian depredations. The opinion widely prevails at 
the North that the border troubles in Texas have been exaggerated for 
, the pur])ose of provoking a war with Mexico. In our belief there is no 
foundation for this opinion. The extent of the depredations, and their 
ruinous effects upon settlements, are proved by incontestable evi- 
dence. A peaceful and comparatively inexpensive remedy for the 
border troubles is strongly urged by influential citizens of Texas. It 
is the granting a moderate subsidy ($0,000 per mile) to a railroad 
projected from Galveston to Camargo, in Mexico, near the Eio Grande, 
a distance of 352 miles.* It is reasonably urged that this road to Ca- 
margo — the key to the commerce of Mexico by a lan<l route — would es- 
tablish friendly commercial relations with Mexico, and heal the irritation 
Avliich keeps up the border troubles, and thus prevent war ; while, in 
case of war, it would furnish the means of quickly transporting troops 
and supplies to the most important point of defense. If the proposed 
road will accomiilish this, it will directly promote the interests of the 
cotton and wool manufacturers of the North.t To Texas, more than 
any other State, do the textile manufacturers of tlie North look for the 
sux)ply of their mills. No other State is making such rapid progress in 
l»opulation, production, and wealth. With an area which exceeds that 
of the German Empire by about 00,000 miles ; with a capacityto produce 
almost all the products of the temperate zone ; with sugar lands on the 
southern border which could yield double the quantity of sugar and 
molasses required for our whole consumi)tion, Texas is above all pre-emi- 
nent for its resources in textile material. On less than one-half of 1 per 
<'ent. of its area it i:)roduced, in 1875, one-half of all the cotton consumed 
in the United States ; and 4 per cent, of its area would be ca])able of 
])roducing all the cotton now cousuurmI in Europe and the United States, 
over 0,000,000 bales.| Add to this its caj^acity for wool-production, and 
we have a State without i)arallel in tlie extent of its natural resources. 
Such a State should not be grudged the trivial sum lequired to establish 
peace upon its borders. 

* No such tlioioujili and satisfactoiy uiode of settling Iiidiau trouldfs lias Ikhmi dis- 
covered as the construction of a railroad tlaongli the Indian country. The \var-\vhoo]» 
of the savage is never heard within sound of the locomotive whistle. The civiliziitiou 
that is rei)resented by the church, the school-house, and the farm the Indian regards 
as his legitimate prey ; but when it comes clothed with the thunder of the advanciug 
railroad train, he retires from the contest. — Speech of Hon. IVlUiam ]yin(lom, of Mltuie- 
Hota, in the Untied Stafen Senate, on the Northern I'aeifie Itmlroctd. 

t We refer to this scheme as only one of the means of ]>eacefully solving the border 
tronbles. A still broader scheme in the sanu^ direction, but with even a more modest 
demand for government patronage, is the pro])osal for a government survey of a rail- 
road I'oute from Austin, Tex., to the Rio Grande, and from thence to the port of Toi)o- 
lovampo, on the Pacitie ; the distance from Sau Antonio to the western ocean heing 
h'ss than 7(10 miles. A railioad in this direction would be a peaceful solution of the 
Mexican question. 

X Report of Mr. Edward Atkinson ou cotton at the International Exhihition. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 107 

We are com])elled to oinit niuoli in tliis paper wliicli is tiemaiided to 
give a full deseri])tiou of the sheep-luisbaiidry of the KSoutli. But 
neither our object nor our si)ace A\'ould permit us to make this i)aper a 
gazetteer of the South in its sheep resources and production. We have 
made no reference to Western Virginia, with its si)lendid sheep-hus- 
bandry, including the Panhandle, Avhere the best fine wool in the United 
States is grown ; because this country, from its contiguity, really be- 
longs to the Ohio and AYestern rennsylvania wool-producing region. 
Neither have we made reference to the mutton aud combing-wool pro- 
duction of Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, although it is a very im- 
])ortant feature of the husbandry of these States, because there is noth- 
ing characteristic and peculiar to distinguish it from the industry of 
New Jersey. Missouri, as a wool-producing State, belongs rather to the 
West than the South. We ought not, however, to omit an enumeration 
of the sheep in the States south of ]Mason and Dixon\s line. On the 
tirst of January their nund)ers were as follows, according to the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture : 

Xiimber of xhrej) in f^outhern Sfata, Jantianj, 1878. 

Xo. of slieep. 

IVlaware 35,000 

Maryland 151,200 

Virj^inia - 422,000 

North Carolina 490, 000 

Sonth Carolina 175,000 

Georjiia :«2,:500 

Florida 56,500 

Alabama 270, 000 

Mi8si,s,sipi>i 250,000 

Louisiana 125,000 

Texas 3,674,700 

Arkansas 285,000 

IVnncsset' 850,000 

West Virfiinia 549,900 

Kentucky 900,000 

Missouri' 1,271,000 

Total 9,887,600 

dumber of xheep In the Xoriltern and Woifcrn Stales, January, 1878. 

Xo. of sheep. 

Maine 528,800 

New Hampshire 239, 900 

Vermont 461,400 

Massachusetts 60,300 

Rhode Island 24,500 

Connecticut 92,500 

New York 1,518,100 

New .Jersey 128,300 

J'ennsylvauia 1,607,600 

Ohio ■ 3,783,000 

Michioan 1,750,000 

Indiana 1,092,700 

Illinois 1,258,500 

Wisconsin 1,323,700 

Minnesota 300,000 

Iowa 560,000 

Kansas 156,000 

Nel.raska 62,400 

California 6.561,000 

Oregon , 1,074,600 

Neyada 72,000 

Cohuado 600,000 

The Territories 2,600,000 

Total 25,852,30Q 



108 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

GEIVERAL CONSIDEKATIONS. 

Relafion oficoolproduction to customs (U(tief<. — This paper, intended for cir- 
culation at the Sontli, where tlieoretical opinions on cpiestions of j^olitical 
economy, differing- from our own, largely prevail, is no place for the discus- 
sion of the vexed questions of free trade and i)rotection. But it would be 
H false delicacy on our part wholly to ignore the absolute dependence of 
the sheep-husbandry of the United States upon a wise revenue legislation. 
The pra(;tical fact exists that the reveiuie of the United States, for a long 
time to come, must be principally obtained from duties on foreign imjtorts. 
JMS^, independently of their theoretical oi)inions, will iidmit that these 
duties should be so imposed as to least injure the national industries. 
Many, who are not theoretically protectionists,, will go even further, 
and admit that the encouragement of a luitional wool industry rises 
above all questions of economical theory, and that it comes within those 
exceptions to the theory of free-trade which even Chevalier, Mill, and 
Bright are compelled to concede, for the necessities of a nation's exist- 
ence. Wool-growing, unlike the i)roduction of any other textile nuite- 
rial, can be advantageously pursued in every State of our territory. 
^o single industry can be mentioned so cosmopolitan in its chaiacter as 
that of the production and manii)nlation of wool, or to which national 
encouragement can be given with less risk of rousing sectional jealousies. 
The wool-industry is eminently national in its character, because it sub- 
serves the two great primal necessities of a ]ieoi)le — those of food and 
clothing. Sheep, by their manure, are capable of doubling the product 
of the wheat-lands on which they are raised. Their flesh is the most 
nourishing of all animal food. A sheep-husbandry, nuule abundant by 
legislative encouragement of wool-production, is the most efll'ectual means 
of diminishing the cost of all animal food to our whole population, and 
thus may be truly said to reimburse manifold the alleged increased cost 
of clothing to our ])eople caused by the i)rotective duties on wool. The 
wool-industry is a necessity for the highest national development; be- 
cause it promotes the highest arts of stock-breeding, is an indispensable 
adjunct to the most advanced form of agriculture, a mixed husbandry, 
and its pastoral form is the pioneer to new settlements. In its mami- 
facturing department it more than any other indu-^try promotes the 
highest mechanical, chemical, and decorative arts; and is the invariable 
i:»recursor of a diversifled manufacture, with its attendant results of 
wealth and culture. 

These considerations are suggested, not as claims for high protective 
dnties on wool or mainifactures of wool, but as reasons for deliberation 
and Avisdom in tixing the duties on those articles which are required for 
the national revenue. The most intelligent wool manufacturers admit 
the justice and propriety of reasonably protective duties on wool, the 
only means of affording national encouragement to the sheep-industry 
of the country, Avhich we must have for food as well as clothing. It is 
doubtful if even Texas, Avith its wonderful pastoral advantages, could 
ever comjjete, without the aid of protectiA^e duties, Avith the Pampas of 
South America in the production of wool. The cost of transporting 
Avool is so slight, but two cents per pound cA^en from Australia to Ncav 
York, that distance is no protection; and the Texan flock-master cannot 
procure labor for tlie Avages of the Indian shepherds of the Pampas ; 
Avhile, like all other producers in this country, he is subject to the de- 
mands imposed by American cixdlization and our high local taxation. 
Even if tlie American flock-master could ])roduce his avooI as cheaply as 
the foreigner, he must be defended against the inpouring of foreign sur- 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 109 

l)luses wliicli, without defeiiisive barriers, are liable at auy momeut to 
break down onr markets. 

Adjnstment of duties on manufactures to djuties on wool. — All tbe duties 
inii)osed for tbe protection of wool-growers, it need not be said, are paid 
by the avooI manufacturers, who thus labor under a burden from which 
the cotton, linen, and silk manufacturers are free ; all the raw material 
for the two first being produced at home, and raw silk being free from 
duty. Notwithstanding the apparently high duty imposed upon fabrics 
of wool, it is a fact capable of demonstration that, after deducting the 
duty Avhich the wool manufacturers of this country pay upon the foreign 
wool which they consume, or the amount by which the domestic wool 
they consume is enhanced by the wool-duty, the wool manufacture of 
this country, under the existing laws, receives less protection than auy 
branch of the textile industry. The fact that the w^ool manufacturer 
must pay the wool duty makes it of the highest importance to him that 
the relations of the duties on the wool manufactures should be accu- 
rately adjusted to the duties on wool. The proper relations of these 
duties is to him of tar more importance than the amount of the protective, 
duty he may receive. 

The American wool manufacturer has to compete with European man- 
ufacturers, who invariably have their wool free of duty. Since 1861 our 
tariff laws have recognized that our wool manufacturers should be 
])laced in the same position as if, like the European manufacturers, their 
wool were exempt from duty. A specific duty is placed upon the cloth, 
intended to exactly reimburse the duty paid on the wool. But this 
s])ecif]c duty gives the manufacturer no protection, and he has at least 
equal claims to protection with the wool-grower; for, irrespectively of 
the wisdom of the policy of any protection, if it is adopted, it should be 
applied to all domestic industries. Our tariff laws therefore provide, in 
addition to the sj^ecific duty on fabrics, neutralizing the wool-duty, an 
ad raJorem duty for the protection of the manufacturer. This system ot 
compoun<l duties is the onh' one which will iiermit protection to the 
grower Avithout injury to the manufacturer. It was adopted after great 
deliberation, has proved higldy advantageous to both interests, is at- 
tended with no difficulty in its administration, and should be retained. 

Amerie<(n mills the only market for domestic icooL — We have deemed it 
])roi)er to refer to these highly important relations of a wisely-adjusted 
tariff to the wool manufacture, because the prosperity of wool production 
aud sheep husbandry at the South, and its further extension, absolutely 
dci)end upon the prosperity of the American wool manufacturers. It 
has been shown elsewhere that the value of all the wool exported from 
this country does not equal the value of the playing-cards wliich we 
have imported. For many years to come the sole market for the wools 
of tlie South must be her own mills and those of the Xorth. It is doubt- 
ful if the South will ever be able to export wools to foreign countries in 
competition with Australia, the Argentine Eepublic, Southern Russia, 
and the Cape of Good Hope. The wool-growers of the South will, there- 
fore, best advance their own interests by favoring the national policy 
which promotes, by reasonable and just provisions, the interests of their 
consumers, the manufacturers. 

Wool-growers^ associations. — The Southern w^ool-gTOAvers should, be- 
sides, establish direct relations with their consumers, the manufacturers, 
and consult them in regard to the character of wools required for fab- 
rics ; but, above all, should encourage the erection of woollen-mills in 
their own country, that their market may be at their oxvu doors. They 
sliould also cultivate relations with the wool-growers of the North aud 



110 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

West, and enter into that community of sentiment and purjiose required 
to make a ^reat national wool industry. For tliis purpose, as well as 
for general improvement, wool -growers' and slieep-breedei's' associa- 
tions should be formed in each of the Southern States, as has been done 
in many States at the Xorth and West. Nothing has contributed so 
much to the marvellous improvements which have been made of late 
years in this country as these associations. As an illustration of the 
high standards of excellence secured by these associations, we give in a 
note the in-ogramme of the Annual Fair of the Sheep Breeders' and 
Wool-Growers' Association of the State of New York.* 

* Auntial F(i\r of the New Tori' State Sheep- Breeders' uneJ Wool-Growers' Association, at 
Hemlock Lake, X. Y., May 1 and 2, 1878. 

CLASSIFICATION. 

Prizes are offered on each division of three classes of sheep, as follows: First class. — 
American Mkkinoks. Dir. 1. — Bred for constitution, form, weight of Hcccc, qnality 
adapted to niauufaetnre of domestic woolens. Dir. 2. — Bred for constitution, form, 
fineness of fleece, quality adapted to manuiactui-e of broadcloths and similar i'abrics. 
J)iv. 3. — Bred for constitution, form, h-nnth of stajile (21 inches at one year's ijrowth 
heinj^ re(iuired), quality adajited to manufacture of delaines and siinilar fabrics. 
Second class. Dir. 4. — Cotswolds. Dir. 5. — LiNCOLNS. Div. 6. — Leicesters. Third 
class. Dir. 7. — Downs, or Middle-wooled. 

PRIZES. 

Prizes are offered in each of the ahove dirisions as follows: For the best ram, three 
years old and over, diploma; second best, .|10; third best, $5. 

For the best ram, two years old and under three, diploma ; second best, $10 ; third 
best, $5. 

For the best ram, one year old, diploma ; second best, flO ; third best, $5. 

For the best pen of three ewes, three years <dd and over, diploma; second best, |10; 
third best, iff). 

For the best pen of three ewes, two years old and under three, dix)loma; second 
best, $10 ; third best, $5. ' ' 

For the best piui of tlnve ewes, one year old, diplonui ; second best, $10 ; third best, $5. 

sweepstakes. 

The following sweepstakes premiwms are offered in each of the scren divisions : 
For the best ram of any age, diploma. 

For the best flock of not less than lifteen, including at least one ram, owned by ex- 
hibitor sixty days next preceding tlie fair, diploma. 

For the best stock ram, and ten of his progeny, diploma. 

For the best ])en of three ewes, of any age, dijjlonia. 

Entrance-fee for sweepsfakes prennum, $2 in addition to membership. 

Xo sheep comjieting for the aboye prizes are required to be shorn. 

SHEARING and SCOURING TEST. 

For the best ram's fleece, $5; for the best ewe's fleece, $5. For the best ram's fleece, 
scoured, $.5 ; for the best ewe's fleece, scoured, |5. For the best fleece of scoured wool, 
in proportion to weight of carcass, $5, 

Sheep competing for the above prizes must be shorn on th(^ grounds, and weighed 
before and after being shorn. Age of fleece to be given in each case. The committe<i 
in making their awards shall make weight and quality combined the leading consid- 
eration, and shall withhold the award entirely where there is not sufficient merit. 
Entrance-fee, $1, in addition to mendiershij), for each sheep. Exhibitors to furnish 
their own shearers. 

Prizes of $5, $3, and $2 Avill be awarded to the first, second, and third best shearers. 

UEGCLATIONS OF THE FAIR. 

1. All premiums may be competed for by residents of the United States, or any other 
country. Persons competing for premiums must be members of the association, by 
the payment of $1 during the current year. 

2. No ptMis shall be alh)tted to exhibitors until the first morning of the fair, and 
then in the order of application. (The allotment of pens will be under the direction 
of the general superintemlent. ) 

3. Slieeit conqx'ting for premiums must be entered and brought upon the sliow- 
grouuds on the first day of the fair; and they must not, without a sjiecial jiermit from 



SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. Ill 

Slieep-lnisbaiuJry hy the colored population. — We must not ignore a x^res- 
ciit serious obstacle to slieep-liusl)audry in the South, wbieli is constantly 
referred to in the reports to the Department of Agriculture, Aiz., the de- 
struction of sheep by dogs, and the depredations of lawless negroes. It 
is said that public opinion among the masses of voters who at present 
control the representatives in many of the State legislatures Mill not 
permit the enactment of suitable laws to restrain the nuisance of dogs. 
" Local huvs," says Mr. Peters, " for the protection of our Hocks from 
man and beast, sliould be promptly enacted." " The main obstacles to 
the industry here" (South Carolina), says Colonel Watts, " are dogs, 
thieving negroes, indolence and ignorance. The presence of the shep- 
herd and the Spanish sheepdog will remedy the tirst, and education 
the latter." Hai)pily the latter intluence is now producing results in 
the South such as the most sanguine friends of humanity could not have 
dreamed of ten years ago. It was shown at the national convention of 
the teachers of the United States, recently held in Washington, that 
schools are being organized and conducted in the South after the best 
systems of Xew England and Euroi)e ; and that the most hearty co-ojier- 
ration exists between the great educators of the North and tiie South. 
Let there be added to this intluence the education which is effected by 
interest. Let the colored i)eoi)le of the South have the means pointed 
out to them for their material imi)rovement. What means so simple and 
ready as the encouragement of sheep-growing among these peoi)le, on a 
moderate scale, in the luial districts? Supposing, with a po])ulat]on of 
4,000,000 colored persons in the Southern States, there are 400,000 fam- 
ilies, and each family should ha^e sheep, there would be 2,400,000 ani- 
mals producing Avool and nuitton — more than at present in all New 
England. This great accession to the wealth of the country woidd be 
nothing compared with the civilizing and humanizing intluence of the 
pastoral occupation u])on the population and tlie habits of thrift which 
it would engender. How^ many thousand country boys at the North 
have got their tirst notions of economy and accumulation from having 
for their own the products and increase of a single sheej)! The colored 
race, from their natural gentleness, take most kindly to the care of ani- 

tlie gpiK'i'al superintendent, be removed tlierefrorn before the second day; nor, on the 
second day, nntil the <;eneral superintendent shall, by direction of the execntive board, 
niake public ])rochiinatiou that all exhibitors are at liL'crty to withdraw their sheep. 

4. Exhil)itors will be required to answer, under oatli, accordin<>- to their best knowl- 
edge and belief, the questions of the examining connnittee touching the age of their 
sheep, the age of their tleeces, the manner in which they were last shorn, the amount 
and kind of feed during the year preceding the fair, their general treatment, and any 
special treatnitnit intended to affect their condition or appearance. 

5. No person, shall act as a member of a viewing committee who has any direct or 
indirect pecuniary interest in any sheep submitted to the inspection of said committee 
for a premium. 

6. No premiums shall be awarded except on animals of superior merit, and then only 
such of the premiums as the viewing connnittee sliall consider them entitled to. (Thus 
the third premium, or the second and third preuiiums, may be drawn, while the tirst 
is nuawarded.) 

7. All reports of viewing committee shall be made in writing and signed by the meiu- 
bers of the committee agreeing to them. (Printed Idank forms of rejtorts, with in- 
structions to viewing connnittees, will l)e delivered to the latter.) 

8. The viewing committee shall deliver their rt!])()rts to the jtresident or secretary at 
or before 9 o'clock a. m. on the second day of the fair. 

9. Tlie society reserves the right to pay the preiuiuius in full, if the receipts are suf- 
ficient after paying expenses; otherwise, to payj;r« ratu, according to receipts of the 
fair. 

10. All sheep intended for exhibition must be npon the ground at 12 o'clock m., the 
first day of tins fair, at which time the entries Avill close. 

11. All sheeji over two years old competing for any prizes offered by the societj' must 
have been closely and evenly shorn the previous year. 



112 SHEEP -HUSBANDRY. 

uials. Kegroes, it is well known, make excellent slieplierds, as tliey 
make capital liostlers. There are but feAV colored families wbicli could not 
afford to purchase two or three ewes. The jirofits in that favored coun- 
try, thoujih small at first, would be sure. The increase would be limited 
only by the perseverance of the shepherd, and his command of land for 
pasturage — probably the chief obstacle. Let sheep culture, upon ever so 
modest a scale, generally prevail among the colored people of the South, 
and dogs, and thieves, white or black, would quickly disapijear under 
the vigilance of a self-constituted police, more effective than any the 
law could provide ; though laws would follow and would be enforced. 

Question of overproduction of icool. — The question will naturally arise: 
If the South grows wool according to her capacity, Avill she have a mar- 
ket for her x>roduction ? To the question proposed in this form, no other 
than a negative answer could be given. But the practical iuijuiry is 
this : Is there any reason in a probable glut of the market from an en- 
largement of the area of production which should deter a Southern 
farmer from embarking in wool-growing ? And to this question we un- 
hesitatingly answer, No. The fears of overproduction, which give the 
disciples of Malthus and Eicardo so much a])prehension, are rarely real- 
ized. They are never realized, except temporarily, in the great staples 
of manufacture. Production usually limits itself by its own operation. 
Thus, California, it is said, has reached its limit in wool production by 
occupying all its pasture-grounds, or by converting them from the domain 
of the crook to that of the plow. Lands in Vermont, Ohio, ]^ew York, 
and Michigan, first improved by shee}), have become too valuable for 
growing slieep for wool mainly; and these States are becouiing x)ro- 
ducers of sheep for mutton and combing wool, and rams for breeding. 
High production of wool in one quarter of the world is usually attended 
by diminished production in another. While Australia has increased 
the numbers of her sheep so wonderfully, Germany has fallen off' from 
50,00(),()0() in 1850 to 25,000,000 at present, and France from 32,000,000 
in 1839 to 24,000,000 in 1872. Thus, with all the supposed rapidity with 
w^hich the production of wool has been increased throughout the world 
of late years, the actual consumption of raw wool in the United King- 
dom, the continent of Europe, and Xortli America, has increased at the 
rate of but about 2 per cent, for each year of the last decade. The 
consumption of clean wool in the United States is set down, for 1875, at 
four and one-third pounds per head of our population. This is far short 
of what we ought to consume for the recpiired comfort of our whole 
pojiulation ; and of what we ^vould consume, if the producing and con- 
suming power of our people were adequately developed. It is doubtful 
if half of our iiopulation wear the woolen underclothing recpiired for 
health and comfort. Persons well informed in the trade in articles of 
this description have made the following curious estimate: 

With .1 population of 35,000,000, we may siip])Ose that there are 8,000,000 who, from 
poverty, iuikliie.ss of elimate, or other causes, do not wear stockings ; leaving 'i7,(t00,()t)0 
who will use at least 3 pairs per annum, requiring 81,000,000 pairs, or (3,75(t,0()0 dozen, 
the value of which, at |3 per dozen, would be !|20,250,000. Estimating that there ai'(^ 
18,000,000 males, one-half of whom will wear knit shirts and drawers, and allowing 
one shirt and one ])air of drawers to each of the 9,000,000 males per annum, 1,000,500 
dozen will be required, at .112 per dozen, of the value of ;j;18,000,000. Estimating that 
there are 17,000,000 females, one-quarter of wht)m will wear nndervests and drawers, 
and allowing only one garment to each, 375,000 dozen, at i$12 per dozen, of a total 
value of 14,500,000, will be required, making the whole value of the above staple goods 
alone required for American consumption $42,750,000. 

This statement illustrates how slight an increase of the consuming 
l>ower of our poijulation is required to expand the wool maiuifacture. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 113 

and to create a home demand for the raw material such as never ex- 
isted. 

But the production of wool at the South will be so gradual in its in- 
crease that it will be a long time before it has any sensible effect upon 
the markets. It should be gradual, to be healthy and natural. It 
should spread through the example of intelligent and cautious farmers. 
A sudden and general enthusiasm for sheep-husbandry at the South 
would be as undesirable as the morns multieaid is and silk mania of 1839, 
wliich stopped the silk culture in many of the Southern States, where 
it might otherwise have been now successful. Despite the few brilliant 
exceptions in Texas, the honansas in sheep-husbandry are as much 
fictions of the imagination as the pastorals of the poets. We do not 
temx)t our Southern friends with the promise of — 

A fleece more golden than that fonnd in Greece, 
Which venturous Jason on liis Argo bore 
From tlie hilled dragon and Colchian shore. 

But we would allure them to an industry more certain of remuneration, 
from a moderate investment, than any other which can so easily be in- 
troduced upon their farms, and, what is far more important, an industry 
which will be the precursor of that diversified culture through which 
alone agricidture can be made permanently profitable. 

In conclusion, we would express our obligations to Mr. Peters of 
Georgia, Mr. Watts of South Carolina, Mr. Young of North Carolina, 
and Mr. Shaeffer of Texas for the valuable statements and information 
furnished to us ; and to Mr. C. W. Jenks, of Boston, for the high intel- 
ligence and zeal manifested by him in the collection of much of tliS 
material embodied in this i^aper. 
S. Ex. 25 8 



APPENDIX. 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 

The developments of science and practical experience have revolutionized pnldic 
opinion on many important subjects during the present generation. Man's cupidity, 
as Avell as necessity, has urged him to important changes of sentiment, or, more pi'op- 
erly speaking, has induced him to develop to our intelligence many errors under which 
our fathers labored, and has opened doors to ncwentei'prises, through which the prog- 
ress of this age has advanced his material prosperity far beyond any period in his 
history. This progress is not destined to be staid; but, on the contrary, as step by 
step, new developments are unfolded, new tields will be jtresented for exploration, and 
new enterprises opened for the employment of his energies. Looking back from the 
threshold of the last quarter of the nineteenth century to its commencement, we per- 
ceive that more has been accomplished, in scientific and practical developnuMit, than 
is recorded in the history of combined centuries of man's preceding existence ; and 
yet all that he has done has been simply to develoj) and turn to his use the blessings 
given by his Creator iu the beginning. 

During this period, cotton has been introduced into the Southern States of our 
Union, and become their great staple, and made one of the leading productions of our 
country; and, entering largely into the channels of commerce, has contributed no 
small share in building up that interest. The la1)or system of the South favored its 
cultivation, while the soil and climate suited its growth and development. The profit 
attending its production induced its cultivation in States too far north of the line of 
latitude suiting the tender nature of the plant to render it a reliable and remuner- 
ative staple to the planter. The recent change of labor in the Southern States renders 
it important that those more northern States which border on the cotton belt should 
turn their attention to productions that promise better remixueration. 

The State of North Carolina, lying on the northern l)order of the cotton belt and 
between the 34° and 37° of north latitiule, possesses amedium teniperatureof climate, free 
fi-om the severities of blighting cold as well as from the debilitating and parching heat 
from equatorial influences. Thus relieved from the extremes of climate. North Carolina 
possesses that equable temperature which is iieculiarly healthful and invigorating to 
man as well as to all animated mitnre. This getSgraphical advantage is enhanced by 
its topographical formation. With a sea-coast of near three hundred miles' extent, 
washed by the wJives of the Atlantic, it reaches back westward until it embraces the 
towering heights of the Blue Mountains. From the exhanstless fountains of this moun- 
tain region tio w the thousand streamlets which form her Catawba and her Yadkin Rivers ; 
and fronj her table-lands, which gently soften down toward the coast, a thousand other 
never-failing brooks and rivulets are gathered into her noble Cape Fear, her Neuse, her 
Tar, and her Roanoke Rivers, all llowing eastward, watering abundantly every district 
of the State, and emptying their Avaters into the Atlantic. 

The mountain portion of North Carolina, embracing some twenty counties, possesses 
a soil unsurpassed for fertility by any similar extent of mountain country on our con- 
tinent. Here the celebrated blue-grass is an indigenous growth, and the mountain sides 
and alluvial valleys alike make the finest nu'adows of this fjivorite and never-failing 
pasturage. The winters here are slnn-t, and free from that intensity which character- 
izes more northern latitudes. This mountain portion of the State softens down east- 
ward into a hill and dale plateau, embracing as many more counties, and this is suc- 
ceeded by a lovely champaign country, extending to the Atlantic coast. The soil of 
this extensive mountain and upland country, embracing some sixty of the ninety-one 
counties in the State, is varied in character, a large proportion of it having a rich 
clay subsoil, yields abundant crops of the cereals and t>f cotton and tobacco, and the 
balance, having an admixture of sand, is more easily cultivated, and, with light fer- 
tilization, yields quite as abundant harvests. All is susceptible of the highest degree of 
improvement, and all produces native, as well as sown and cultivated, gra.sscs to a 
high degree of perfection. The remaining counties, embracing the tide-water district 
of the State, have large districts of rich alluvial soil, which have long been an Egypt 
from which thousands of our fellow-citizens north of xia have been provisioned. Within 
the limits of the State there are fifteen hundred miles of railroad, traversing it longi- 
tudinally, latitudinally, and diagonally, penetrating its mountains at difl'erent points, 
and now vigorously pressing through to a connection with the Mississijipi and Ohio 



116 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Valleys, These liiglnv.iys of travel and freight open np every portion of it, and make 
connections at Wilmington, Morehead City, and New Berne, on its own seaboard, and 
the ports of Charleston, S. C., Norfolk, Va., and the cities and markets of the Nf>rth. 

This portraiture of the State of Noi'th Carolina presents an area of 45,500 sqnare 
miles, and embraces all the varieties of soil and climate to be found in the most favored 
latitndes and most desirable localities on the earth. Nature has not disti'ibnted her 
gifts here with a partial hand, by bestowing lavishly upon one section and withhold- 
ing to impoverishment from another; but, bj' an even and uniform meting out, ren- 
ders every portion desirable. From the sharp frost-line of its mountiiius to the snunj- 
bays and lakes upon its coast, where ice is rarely seen, a uniform, equable temperature 
pervades the State. 

The radical change in labor in the last dozen years renders necessary a correspond- 
ing change in the system of agriculture, which must in future be pursued l)y the 
people. He who will present a proper direction for the enterprise of agriculturists 
Avill be their benefactor. Our ideas on such matters are naturally influenced by our 
business of life, our education, or other circumstances whigh beiul the twig and tix 
the inclination of the tree. Being sensible of these influences, the writer might feel 
more ditiidence in presenting sheeji-hnsbandry to the consideration of those interested 
in the future of North Carolina, as the leading occupation of its people, did he not 
feel satisfied that an intelligent examination of the subject must lead the investigat- 
ing mind to sustain his conclusions. 

If the preceding description of the temperature, topography, and general charac- 
teristics of the State be correct, the reader who is familiar with sheep-husbandry will 
at once perceive its adaptation to that pursuit. Every one desiring to inform himself 
more particularly in regard to the representations liere given is invited to direct his 
inv;estigations with the view of scrutinizing its correctness and reliability. 

Twenty years' experience in manufacturing the wools grown in the State has famil- 
iarized the writer with the manner in which our sheej) have been cared for; and has 
convinced Inm that, without great natural advantages, their utter neglect would long 
since have exterminated them from the soil. There are but few plantations in the 
State upon which there was not to be found a flock of sheep, intended to be only sufli- 
cient to furnish the wool necessary to clothe the family and furnish an occasional 
mutton. These sheei) were generally the "native" breed, rarely improved by crosses 
upon foreign blood. 

As a general rule, these small flocks never entered into their owner's estimate of his 
valuable property, and they were never so treated. In the spring, they were shorn of 
their fleeces, and turned outside their owner's inclosnres to seek their summer support 
in the forests and waste lands over which they chose to roam, and to run the gauntlet 
for life among hungry hounds and gaunt curs, almost as numerous as themselves. All 
that might escape, and were able to And their homes in the fall season, and would 
seek its inhosi)italities for the winter, would be admitted within the gates, and per- 
mitted to eke out a scanty living in the denuded flelds and corners of worm-fences, 
Avhicli is sui)plemented by a morning and evening allowance of corn-fodder, which the 
compassionate and appreciative owner allows to be fed to them by a boy who has not 
yet attained sufficient size to be otherwise useful. The only protection against the 
rains and occasional storms of Avinter afforded to a majority of these flocks being such 
as their instincts lead them to seek by hovering on the sheltering sides of barns and 
outbuildings that may be accessible; a tumble-down or waste-house on a plantation 
is a perfect asylum for them. Yet, under this treatment, the flocks of the farmers keep 
their numbers full, and occasionally multiply beyond their wants. Of necessity, their 
fleeces are light and inferior. Whenever an eftbrt has been inade to improve the stock 
by crossing upon Merino or other approved blood, tlie eft'ect is satisfactory and lasting. 
From the universal cxistom of turning the entire stocks into the common "range," the 
impi'ession of a Merino, S(Juthdown, or other importation would manifest itself upon 
the flocks of entire neighborhoods. So a])parent is the improvement thus made that, 
in purchasing the surplus brought to market, there, would be no difliculty in recogniz- 
ing the wool from a neighborhood that had been favored by some enterprising farmer 
having imported from Virginia or Pennsylvania a pair of blooded animals. Without 
any change in the mode of treatment, these inii)rovements are known to be distinctly 
manifest in neighborhoods thirty years after their introduction. Being able to with- 
stand all this hardship and neglect, and promptly to respond to every efltbrt to improve 
their quality or condition, it is evident that there is in North Carolina an adaptation 
of natural gifts to their peculiar wants. 

In the tide-water and contiguous counties, where the influence of winter winds from 
the mountains is not felt, " where the snow spirit never comes, and whore spi'ing flings 
her flowers into the lap of winter," these generous animals And a sustaining pasturage 
the entire year upon the wire-grass which grows spontaneously through the otherwise 
barren pine forests. Being thus independent of their owners, they keep in uniform 
good flesh, grow to better maturity, and furnish better fleeces than in thcnppi^r portion 
of the State. Though here they know neither their "owner nor their master's crib,' 
they contribute largely to clothing and feeding his family, / 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 117 

Standing on Mount Mitchell, on the western border of the State, the most elevated 
point between the Mississippi Kiver and the Atlantic, looking eastward the mind's 
eye reaches the waves of tlie Atlantic, 500 miles distant, and sweeps over an area of 
45,500 square miles, embraced within the State lines, watered by thousands of trib- 
utaries to noble rivers, which gush from the mountain battlements stretched across 
the western border of the State, whose waters, flowing eastward, tum1)le over innu- 
merable falls, as though nature had given them not only to beautify the landscape, but 
to invite the enterprise of man to their utilization. From the l)roa(l plateau below a 
thousand other never-failing fountains seud forth their pure waters, which mingle as 
they flow onward to swell the grand arteries which convey them to their comnu)n res- 
ervoir. Through, over, and across this grand i>rospect numerous railways stretch their 
lengths, over which freighted trains are sweeping to and fro, bearing out the produc- 
tions and bringing in the commerce of the country. 

Of this immense territory it may be said there is not a square mile of soil which is 
not susceptible of l)eing made to produce a remunerative yield of tillage, and uot one 
upon which would not ordinarilly be fonml a good natural pasturage for sheep ; nor is 
there a square mile of it upon which, when sheep were introduced and cared fiu", would 
uot, year l>y year, be improved by their presence and pasturage upon it. There is no 
part of the State which does not possess immense natural advantages in soil and cli- 
mate over the Southdown hills of England, the sterility of which rendered them almost 
uninhabitable until sheep were introduced upon them, by which they have been con- 
verted into the greenest meadows of the island. In the mountains and hill country 
more winter provisions would be required than in the balance of the State ; but the 
shortness of the season would not demand much expense nor render the care of flocks 
burdensome. In three-fourths of the State no other winter provision would be neces- 
sary than the sowing of grasses and small grain for their pasturage, and the providing 
of cheap shelters from occasional seasons of inclemency. The farmers have practiced 
the habit of grazing their sheep upon their tields of small grain during the winter, 
which, when judiciously done, rather contributes to than detracts from their yield at 
harvest. In the pine lands and tide-water poi'tionof the State, they do live iudepeiul- 
ent of the care of man, but would certainly reward him for care and attention. 

If climate and soil are adapted to sheep husbandry, Nature has furnished her share 
of the requisites. Man must supply the flocks, and, in obedience to the divine com- 
mand, till the earth for their subsistence. Sheep-growing iu certain of the States of 
New England, Avhere pasture-lands are worth five or ten times as much as iu North 
Carolina, is the staple business in its rural disti'icts. Its people look to their flocks, as 
the Southern planter does to his broad acres of cotton, for their income. There the 
severities of a Northern winter lock up all Nature's supplies, and render all domestic 
animals dependent upon the hand of man for protection and food for one-third of each 
year; yet that enterprising people have converted these States into a vast sheep- 
walk, and, subduing all obstacles, have developed the wool-bearing cai>ability of sheep 
to a degree heretofore unknown. A contrast between the advantages and disadvan- 
tages of New England and North Carolina, iu regard to this profitable enterprise, is 
invited, and the advantages of the latter will be apparent. If, with the natural (lis- 
advantages under which they labor, they have developed so great a profit in this pui- 
suit, why should not North Carolina become animated with the altounding presence of 
this valuable animal? Why should not her hills and dales be made vocal with bleat- 
ing flocks, and the song of the shepherd awaken her echoes as they float over her fer- 
tile vales and picturesque landscapes? Why should our farmers, year after year, 
spend their hard earnings for commercial fertilizers, and wear out their physical en- 
ergies in toil and labor to make money enough to buy more artificial manures, to 
enable them to grow more cotton, when the presence of 100 sheep upon their lands would 
enrich five acres every month in the year far better than their purchased fertilizers; 
and would, at the same time, pay them in wool and mutton a better per cent, upon 
their value than their cotton does upon their labor and expense ? 

The changed circumstances of the people of North Carolina calls for a change in 
their agriculture. ^Millions of wealth have been realized iu less favored countries by 
the growth of sheep ; and it is an enterprise worthy the investigation of her peoj)!*'. 
This article is not written with the view of presenting the profits of husl)audry, or of 
contrasting it with the present agricultural pursuits of her ])coi)le, but to show the 
adaptation of the State to its successful pursuit, and to call attention to its natural 
advantages over countries whei'e it is ])rofitably pursued. It is hoped that the intelli- 
gent people of the State will investigate the subject, and that those engaged in it else- 
where may be induced to direct their attention and inquiries to the State; and there 
is no doubt of the facts presented being found to be as stated. 

The profits of sheep husbandry are not now, as heretofore, dependent mainly upon 
the fleeces; but the discoveries of science in this our enlightened day enable the grow- 
ers to otfer their nuitton in the markets of Europe as sweet and as fresh as it is foun<l 
in our own city shambles. 

JOHN A. YOUNG. 

Charlotte, N. Q., January 8, 1878. 



118 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY, 

Martin's Depot, Laurens County, South CaPvOLIka, 

December 2"2, 1877. 

Dear Sir: I am requested l>y my friend, Governor Hampton, to send you some de~ 
tails of my experience in sheep husbandry, in whic-li I luive all my life been engaged, 
in this State, Georgia, and Texas. From my early manhood I have personally known, . 
and visited in their himies, the most intelligent Avool-groAvers and sheep-hreeders of 
the North and South — such men as Georgc.Camphell and others, of Kew England, and 
Richard Peters and others, of the South. Dr. Randall, of Cortland Village, N. Y.,wa» 
for thirty years my triend, and an authority to whom I always had recourse; and 
Avhose most valuable work, "Sheep Husbandry at the South," was written at the 
special request of the late Governor AUston of this State, to encourage wool-growing 
in South Carolina. From all sources, at home and abroad, I have sought information- 
and have obtained the best examplesof the various breeds. In fact, sheep husbandry 
has been the one occujiation I have preferred above all others; and I have no hesita- 
tion whatever, after long experience, in affirming it as my tixed belief that it might 
be made ihe nu)st valuable industry of the S(uith, and for the successful pursuit of 
Avhich, in all its varieties, this section has more facilities than any other portion of our 
country. I will note down facts in my experience as they occur to m^; and you cau 
arrange and Tise them as you choose, 

"We are not iar from the central ])ortions of the State. 

The country is a rolling upland, with a light-gray soil and lieavy clay subsoil. 

The })revailing grasses are the crab and Bt^rmuda and wild c-lover. 

The breeds of sheep I have had and tested are the common natiA'e, Bakewell or 
Kew Leicester, New Oxfordshire, Southdowus, French and Spanish Meriuoes, and the 
African Broad-tails. 

With me the Spanish Merinoes have proAed the most profitable, the first of which I 
had from the Hocks of Dr. Randall. 

I have crossed the Merino with nearly all the above-named breeds. 

I am inclined to think that good native ewes make the best cross with the Merino, 
and make a more salable sheep than any of the above-named full-bloods. 

I am now breeding the Merino and Broad-tailed. 

If I were raising wool as the primary consideration, I would by all means raise the 
Merino. They do not mature so early as the other breeds; but, when matured, make 
as good mutton as any bi'eed I have ever raised. But, if the priucip.al object should 
■ be to raise mutton for the markets, I would c(^rtainly leconnnend the African Broad- 
tailed sheejt, because th(%^ mature earlier; but, in my husbaiulry, I make the wool the 
first, the mutton the secondary, consideration. But, were the (piestion one of long- 
combing Avool for this locality, I would cross the Cotswold ewe with the Aflicau Broad- 
tail ram, for all the range of country here, this side the Blue Ridge. 

The annual cost of keeping my sheep, I charge up at $1 per head. The actual cost I 
have found to be not over 60 cents per head. 

As to the per cent, of profit my slieeji pay. If they are full-blooded, they will aver- 
age not far from $10; and, making that, they give about *iO per cent., allowing the 
lambs to pay exjienses; but, if they are only half-breeds, they will not average more 
than !j;1.50 per fleece. 

My average annual clip of unwa.shed wool, per sheep, from full-blood Merinoes, is 7 
pounds, the average price of which last season was 22 cents; this season, 28 net to me 
lure. 

I think the cost per pound of wool gives it to you as net gain, for it must be a very 
poor and very badly managed flock in which the lambs and manure Avill not pay all 
expenses. 

The average number of my lambs raised is, from my Meriuoes, about SO ]ier cent. 
Compared with the ewes ke]it, they are not, as a rule, as good nurses as nuist of the 
other breeds, sonus of which Avill rear nearly 100 i)er cent, of their lambs. I have 
always sold my lambs for herding, stock sheep, &c., not to the butcher. 

Our connnon sheep can bo had here for f'i per head ; Merinoes, from $10 to $20. The 
price in market here for grown mutton-sheep woidd be from $54 to $5. 

My pasture has been broom-sedge and Jajian clover {Lcupedizen striata), until after 
harvest ; then we give them the run of the grain-fields. For winter pasturage, I 
usually sow rye lots for the ewes and laml)S, and give all the Hock the run of oat.s 
sown in August and Sexitejuber; also, allow them the range of the corn-field and the 
cotton-fields. As a mixed food, cotton-seed is wholesonu% economical, and prolital)le. 
My sheep are very fond of it ; after feeding on green barley all day, they will eat cot- 
ton-seed with great relish. Some feed is needed in this section for thi'ee nu)nlhs, as 
there are few cultivated grasses; with herdsgrass and clover cultivated, nuich le.ss 
time for feeding would be needed. 

Sheep are usually very healthy in this section ; there are no ei)idemics nor prevail- 
ing complaints here among them. 

The main obstacles to the industry here are dogs, thieving negroes, indolence, and 
ignorance. The presence of a shepherd and the Spanish sheep-dog wih remedy the 
first ; ajid education, the latter. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 119 

We ntilize the manure from tlic sheep — housing them in winter, anil littering the 
stalls frequently — throwing it broadcast for rutahagas, in July or August, or iu 
«lrills, as the case may be. In sununer, I use John H. Euchnuin's portable fence — the 
l)cst iron wire, and keep at the rate of 1,000 sheep to the acre a week ; the value of 
which I regard as equal to about 400 pounds of guano, the tirst year ; and its etfects 
ai-e perceptible for several years. My belief, from careful experimenting, is, that 52 
acres of land can be so well fertilized in twelve mouths, with 1,000 sheep, as to be rich 
soil for five years following. The effects of such manuring are wonderful. 

The sheep are great helps to the farmer in eradicating useless weeds, such as the 
cockle-brier, which they eat with avidity, either dry or green. In fact, there are few 
lilants with us they will not eat. 

I think all varieties of sheep can be successfully and profitably raised in our State. 
On the ricli bottom-lauds of the coast, the African Broad-tails — or a cross, as I have 
suggested, with the Cotswold — which would give a variety that would thrive iu any 
climate South. 

In the middle district, near the lands under rich cultivation, the Bakewells and 
other A'arieties of heavy sheep for mutton. In the section where I am, and up to the 
line of the Blue Ridge, the Merinoes, and on the Blue Ridge itself, the Merino; and I 
should also strongly recommend the Cheviot, so successful in the districts of England 
and Scotland of similar altitude and climate. 

And here, in closing, let me say, in a iew of some of the industrial wants of the conn 
try, I think this last section of our State, the Blue Ridge Mountains, can, with mod- 
erate care and expense, most successfully furnish all the facilities needed for the best 
combing wools, and the alpaca and Angora goat. In fact, I have no doubt on this 
point. Even here, 75 miles from the mountains, I have for six-years grown most suc- 
cessfully the Angora goat, whose flesh I regard as superior to any mutton, and Avhose 
fleece, properly handled, could there l)e made more profitable than any wool-growing. 
This I can say from actual, careful experience with the Angoras, which are of Asia 
Minor stock, meeting here few obstacles to their profitable breeding, and which, in 
the Blue Ridge, just beyond me, would find an exact counterpoint of their native soil 
and climate. Aside from their flesh and wool, there is another advantage they otfer, 
which in the mountains beyond would be nu)st valuable. In a cross I have made with 
a pure Angora buck and a Maltese e\ve-goat, I have raised a ewe-goat that will give 
four quarts per day of as good milk as any cow on my plantation. The feed of one of my 
cows will keep twelve goats. My cows must have certain food, or they will not thrive. 
My goats will eat anything, almost, and do well ; and with this advantage, also, that 
their milk and butter are not iu any way aftected by their diet. 

It is not, therefore, at all an oi)en question with me, after years of practical experi- 
ence, whether the Angora, alpaca, and kindred races of the goat tribes would thrive 
in our Blue Ridge. They would be more profitable in that locality than any other 
branch of husbandry. 

If the present status of the wool-growing industry can be maintained, we can, in my 
judgment, grow all the varieties and product needed for home consumption, from the 
cheapest carpet wools to those needed for our extra-fine broadcloth, imitation cash- 
meres, or the cloths for piano-manufacture consumption. 

I have now on my tal)le a Silesiau wool, measuring say 1,800 hairs to the inch, and 
which cost the consumer here |1.50 in gold per pound. With none of that ridiculously 
extreme care which the growers of electoral wool exercise in their flocks, Mark Cock- 
erell, of Tennessee (near Nashville), has raised Saxony wools of a fineness of over 2,000 
hairs to the inch, and could sell it at a handsome profit at $1 per pouiul. In fact, Mr. 
Cockerell claims there is more margin of profit iu it than in the growth of a mere ordi- 
nary wool. 

Our country's enterprise, demand, climate, soils, and constantly improving animals, 
if present encouragement in wool-growing is not interfered with in anyway, can su])- 
ply any call that can be made ujion it ; and, from my knowledge of the South and its 
resources, I believe no part of our country can furnish so many facilities in this direc- 
tion, and no one section more than my native State of South Carolina. 

J. WASH. WATTS. 

JoHX L. Hayes, Esq., 

Secretary of the Kaiional Association of Wool Manufacturers, Boston. 

Executive Chamber, 
Columbia, S. C, December 24, 1877. 
I fully concur with the views expressed by Colonel Watts in the within paper. He 
is a gentleman of great experience, intelligence, and integrity. I doubt if he has his 
superior as a shepherd iu the South. 

I heartily commend his sentiments, as hereby expressed, to all who are interested in 
wool growing, and its manufacture ; which industries I believe to be most vitally con- 
nected with the future develoiiment and prosperitv of the South. 

WADE HAMPTON. 



120 SHEEP-HUSBANDEY. 

Atlanta, Ga., January 1, 1878. 

Sir: Hon. Alex. H. Stepliens, of this State, has expressed a wish that I furnish you 
■with facts as to the facilities the State of Geor<jia can otter in sheep hnsbandry, grow- 
ing out of my thirty years' experience in that industry here. 

If you will bear in niiud that we can grow oranges in the gardens in the southern 
part of the State while snow lies on the highlands, and the mercury may be at zero on 
the northern borders, you can see that the diversity of soil and climate associated with 
such extremes would give great variety to the products of the State. 

Nature has given us three marked divisions — Middle, Lower, and Upper Georgia ; the 
altitude rising with the latitude. Each of these sections has its own special advan- 
tage for wool-growing, and it can be profitably pursued in either section. 

I will begin with the lower jjart of the State, across the entire width of which there 
is a belt of country of an extent noi-thward from the coast and the Florida line, say, 
from 100 to 150 miles. It is the land of the long-leaf pine and the wire-grass. Flocks 
of native sheep, as high as 3,500 in number, are found here and there scattered over 
the surface, receiving but little care or attention, except at the annual gathering for 
shearing and marking. Very little can be said either for the quantity or quality of 
the wool per head raised here. I am aware that it has been claimed for this section 
that its present advantages are as great for large flocks as the ranges in Texas and Cal- 
ifornia. I do not subscribe to this opinion. Tlie i)asturage of this section, called wire- 
grass, affords fine grazing for sheep in the spring; but, for permanent and continuous 
food, it cannot be relied on. A fair experiment in sheep-raising, uniting good atten- 
tion, selection, and crossing, with a determination to secure the best development in 
frame and fleece, has not been made in this section for many years. If it were prop- 
erly attempted, by combining Bermuda with the wire grass for spring and summer 
pasture, and red winter oats for one or two months iu winter, for the ewes and lambs, 
I think the results would prove of the most satisfactory and profitable character. 

In the middle portion of the State the Bermuda grass prev.ails, and, under the cot- 
ton system of culture, it was the dread and bane of the planter ; but now, for its 
nutritious qualities and compactness of sod, it is considered by our people as valuable 
and as reliable as any grass,not excepting the Kentucky blue-grass. It is undoubtedly 
the sacred or " doub" grass of the Hindoos. It will attbrd sheep the very best past- 
urage for six mouths of the year, iu this section of the State, and, if managed as on 
the pastures in Kentucky, for the eutire year. 

In Putnam, Hancock, Wilkes, and adjoining counties (formerly the el dorado cotton 
country of Georgia), where the Bermuda has taken possession, there is a future for 
successful sheep husbandry, providing, of course, the supervision be intelligent and 
the business properly conducted and combined with cotton culture. The result must 
prove highly remunerative, far surpassing anythiug iu the past history of this indus- 
try in New England or the Middle States. 

My own experience has been, to a great extent, in North or Upper Georgia, in Gor- 
don County. The country is hill and valley, the land changing very rapidly ; the 
pasturage sedge, crab, and other native grasses. Of the cultivated, the orchard-grass, 
red and white clover, on upland, and red-top, on low laud, succeed admirably. Lu- 
cern and German millet are never-failing sources of an ample supply of hay. The 
former aflbrds from four to five cuttings in a season. Red, rust proof oats — a reliable 
winter variety, if sown iu September — can be pastured duriug the winter and early 
spring, and then yield a full crop of graiu. The same may be said of barley, rye, and 
wheat. 

The breeds I have tested are the Spanish and French Merinoes, Southdown, Oxford- 
shire Down, Leicestershire, Asiatic broad-tail or Tunisian, improved Kentucky Cots- 
wold, and native sheep. I have also crossed nearly all of these varieties. Those 
between the Spanish Merinoes and native, and the Cotswold and native, have proved 
most profitable. My present varieties are the thoroughbred Merinoes and the Cotswold, 
and crosses between the two. 

For general purposes of wool and mutton I recommend most decidedly the cross 
from native ewes and Spanish Merino bucks; the progeny showing marked improve- 
ment, having constitution, fattening projierties, thriftincss, and a close, compact fleece. 

For long combing wools, the best combination flock' can be built up on the natives 
as a basis, using the Spanish Merino bucks for tlie first cross, and then the Cotswold 
to give more size and longer staple. If the Aviuters are mild, my flocks require feed- 
ing about thirty days; if cold and wet, twice that time. My Merino sheep are very 
healthy. They have had trouble with the sheep bot-fly; but I haA'e found a liberal 
use of tar a perfect preventive. By another winter a proper dog law will be enacted, 
now guaranteed to us in the new constitution. 

In all well-situated and well-managed flocks the increase and manure will amply 
repay all expenses, and leave the fleece clear profit. The fleeces of my flocks, not 
housed at night, will give an average of seven pouiuls of avooI to the head. 

The future history of the sheep husbandry of this State, if intelligently pursued in 
accordance with its natural divisions, will show three distinct systems : That of North- 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 121 

era Georn;i,'i will somewhat i-esemble the industry in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Yoi'k, 
and New England; that of the middle of the State, Kentucky ; and that of the south- 
ern ])ortion (witli shepherds and dogs), Texas, Colorado, and California. 

In this connection I may say a few words about the Angora goat, veiy improperly 
termed "Cashmere." I have owned these* animals from six distinct imjjortations, 
those brought over by Dr. J. B. Davis, in 1848, proving to be superior in many respects 
to any of the more recent importations. One of the most valuable, interesting, and 
remarkable traits of the Angoras is the rapidity with which Heece-bearing goats can 
be obtained by using thoroughbred bucks to cross on the common short-haired ewe- 
goats of the country. The second cross produces a goat with a skin vahied for rugs, 
mats, and gloves. The fifth cross (known l)y many breeders as "full blood") will 
yield a fleece not inferior to much of the "inohair" imported from Asia. This hfth 
cross can be readily obtained in live or six years. Thoroughbred bucks should always 
be used, because the progeny of the "full-blood" bucks vary greatly, and the upward 
progress is by no means satisfactory. The Angora is a hardy, industrious, and self- 
sustaining animal, and can be classed as herbivorous. Being active and vigorous, 
they roam over wide ranges of country, giving value to worthless vegetation refused 
by most other animals, and will feed and fatten at double the distance from water 
that sheep can, as they travel faster and endure more. I have for twenty years bred 
them largely, and have observed the following rules in my selection of stock bucks: 

In pedigree. — Dating back to Asiatic importation. 

In Jieeee. — Weight and length of the long, silky, ringleted, white fleece, and its ti'ee- 
dom from kemp, and mane on the back and neck. 

In frame. — Size and vigor, long pendant ears, and iipright spiral horns. 

If that point has not already been reached, I believe it soon will be, when (as in the 
history of Merino sheep) finer specimens of the Angora, American-bred, may be seen 
here than can be found in their haunts in Asia Minor. 

I have had great success with the Angoras, and regard them as one of the most val- 
uable acquisitions to the resources of our husbandry. They have yielded me more 
substantial pecuniary profit than any other branch of my extended stock investments. 
In 18151 I sent out to William M. Landrum, of California, the first Angoras that went 
there, where they have laid the foundation of what I am confident will be a very ex- 
tensive and profitable husbandry. There can be no doubt that in the range of the 
Blue Eidge, extending from Alabama to Virginia, they would find all the requirements 
of their nature, utilize a vast country, and prove a source of great benefit and profit to 
all interested. 

In reference to the whole matter of sheep husbandry at the South, after a long ex- 
perience, in which neither labor, care, nor ex]>ense has been spared by me, I may say 
with safety I know of no investment so likely to yield constant and pi'ofitaltle returns 
to the farmer, and certainly none so valuable to the acres he occupies. I think the 
State of Georgia, from its varied climate, soil, and surface, offers unequaled facilities 
for this industry. We shall need with this the paternal care of the State and national 
governments for its growth and permanence. Local laws for the protection of our 
flocks from man and Ijeast should be promptly enacted; Avhile the general government 
should by no unkindly legislation disturb existing advantages, retard our growing 
progress, or throw any obstacle in our way. And I may here say that I learn with 
great suri>rise aud regret that an eftort will prol)ably be made in Congress this winter 
to reduce the duties on wool, or eveu to give us free wool altogether. I greatly depre- 
cate all su(di legislative action. Nothing could be more impolitic or disastrous to the 
sheep hnsban<lry of this county. No section of the Union — not even California and 
Texas, with all their great natural facilities — could grow wool against the cheap 
labor and the inexpensive ranges of Brazil and Australia, to say nothing of our 
European competitors, the influx of whose coml)iug wo(ds would keep for many gen- 
erations the fair Blue Ridge of the South without sheep-walks, though it is by nature 
one of the most favored spots in America IVn- this class of wools, and which also ai'e 
now so much in demand, at home aud abroad, for the great and growing worsted indus- 
tries of the world. 

To us of the South especially (who ai"e just waking up to the importance and value 
every way of an intelligent sheep-husbaudry as one of the most reliable and eflicient 
means to aid us in the restoration of our shattered fortunes), any such unkindly legis- 
lation would be instantly and totally destructive. The capital of our farmers, now 
invested to a limited extent hopefully and profitably in wool-growing, their calcula- 
tions and expectations being based on 'the ])ermanence of existing legislation, would 
be annihilated ; while the ]»resent encouraging outlook for investnumt in this industry 
from outside capitalists would be at once shrouded in gloom and indefinitely postponed 
Respectfully, yours, 

RICHARD PETERS. 

John L. Hayes, Esq., 

Secretary of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers, Boston, Mass. 



122 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

Merino Eaxchk, Morgan Mills, Erath Cotxty, Tkxas, 

Xoi-ember 13, 1877. 

Sir: I trust yon will pardon the liberty I take in addressing you. My excuse must 
be the f)blij>ation I am under to yourself and tlie association you represent for many 
favors in the past, and very recently foi»the pleasure and profit afforded me by the 
perusal, in the July and September issue of The Bulletin, of your lecture on " Wool- 
production and Sheep-husbandry." 

My only regret in reading it has been that your audience had not been in Texas 
rather than Maine; and here (will you allow me to say?) you are, in my judgment, 
doing the joint interests of wool-growing and wool-manufacture gi-eat service by the 
utterance of such sentiments as are contained in the pai)er referred to ; and, while 
thus employed, I firmly believe you are engaged in an educational effort second to none 
in im])ortance in our country. 

I have entered upon the business of sheep-husbandry in this section not alone for the 
purjiose of money-making, but also in the faith that I can, in this avocation, render 
good service to my country in many ways. The field here is a wide and important 
one. I believe it is destined to be the theater of most important developments ill 
sheep-husbandry. The facilities, in many directions, for the successful solution of 
hitherto unsolved problems in this industry are unsuri)assed anywhere ; and I think 
ten years from now Texas wool will rank in all respects with the best of the world. 

To accomplish this will require effort. I do not hesitate to say to our wool-growers 
here that the intelligent wool-manufacturers of New England will watch with much 
interest the future of this great territory ; and that the knowledge of that fact, and 
the sympathy and co-operation it insures, should nerve them not only to grow the most 
in bulk, but the best in quality, of any wools on the continent. 

I have recently brought out here one hundred head of Merino bucks from the cele- 
brated flock of George Campbell, esq., of West Westminster, Vt., and intend them as 
but the forerunners of a system of sheep-husbandry unexcelled any whi're. If I can 
be successful, I think I may be useful in no small degree in more firmly cementing 
the bonds of our comuion country. For, while it may seem a strange thought to mauy, 
I have the impression that no one influence in the industries of the Union can be made 
more mighty for good in a moral, industrial, and political sense than an intelligent, 
harmonious, co-operation of the interests represented ]>y the wool-growers and wool- 
manuf:ieturers of tiiese United States. 
Very respectfully, yours, 

CHAKLES N. JENKS. 

Hon. John L. Hayes, 

Secretary of the Autional Association of Wool Manufacturers, Boston. 



EXTRACT FROM FORTHCOMING REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF 
AGRICULTURE OF TENNESSEE. 

EAST TENNESSEE FOR SHEEP. 

The climate embraced within the limits of Tennessee is peculiar, in the fact that it is 
greatly modified by reason of mountain elevations, and is not what latitude alone would 
determine. Take the tops of the Unaka Mountains on the east, and throughout the 
hottest summer months the average temperature on Roane Mountain does not exceed 
54 degrees. In the valley of East Tennessi'e we find the climate not so nnich modified 
by elevation as by the direction of the winds, which rush up the valleys from the south- 
west laden with a fructifying moisture, and jjroducing a highly genial, productive, 
and healthy climate. The mean temperature here in summer is not 1 ar from 74 degrees. 

Take these two divisions of the State, lying side by side, and the sheep will jiresent 
great constitutional diflerences. Tin; Cotswold, Leicester, Southdown, nor any heavy 
breeds, would not do well upon tlie admiraT)le grazing grounds found upon the bald 
l)laees on the mountain-tops; but the ]\Ierino, the Cheviot, and the native mountain 
l)reeds would find a home entirely coiigenial to their constitution and habits. The 
natives found on these mountain heights are as fleet as the deer, and as healthy. The 
wool is white, soft, firm, lustrous, and true; and the sheep show a beautiful adapta- 
tion to the locality which they occn])y. It is said, by those experienced in sheep-rais- 
ing on these mountains, that the higher the grazing-gnnmds the better the wool. On 
the other hand, carcasses increase in size as the grazing-gronnds approach the valley, 
mitil the largest size of carcass is met with in the many long, straight, and beautiful 
valleys that characterize the great valley of East Tennessee. 

It may be well to mention here that tlie grasses which flourish U])on the slopes and 
tops of the Unaka Mountains are exceedingly luxuriant and nutritious, aind form a 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 123 

thick mat all over the surface. Blne-o;ra.ss, hcrds'-grass, Avhite clover, mnuntaiu 
meadow, Randall grass, and many wild hut valuahle kinds, are so iutermixed as to 
supply constant grazing throughout the summer months. But these grasses are cou- 
tined to the soils of metaphoric origin. The Sandstone Mountains are naked and hare, 
producing only greenish hriars, lichen.s, luosees, and ferns. 

Though cool, the climate of these mountains is exceedingly moist. For fully half 
the time in summer the tops are wrai)i)ed in cloud and mist ; and rains are remark- 
ably frequent in sunnner, and snows in Avinter. The frequent rains keep the grasses 
in a growing conditioii, and an equal acreage of i)asture upon the rich, black, felds- 
pathic soils of the mountain will probal)ly supply double the grazing that it would in 
the valleys below. In no part of the celebrated blue-grass region of Kentucky is the 
sod l>etter or thicker than upon the balds of some of these mountains. For wool-])ro- 
ducing sheep, this region has no superior in this or any other country, if they could be 
provided with suitable jirotection against the chilling rains. The cold blasts of winter 
may be averted by the sheltering coves. The tropical heats of the valley in summer 
are unknown uj)on these airy heights. 

CUMBEELAXD MOUXTAIX FOR SHEEP. 

The Cumberland table-land is 2,000 feet above tide-water, with a dry sandstone soil, 
and an exceedingly cool and pleasant climate in sunmier, the mean temperature being 
about 71 degrees. The air is dry and bracing. During the summer months the sur- 
face of the earth is covered with tussf)cks of tine, nutritious mountain grass, and fur- 
nish ample sustenance for sheep for eight months in the year. In addition to tlie wild 
grasses, herds'-grass, clover, and orchard-grass, with slight attention to manuring, will 
grow Avell. Wild pease also furnish a nutritions herbage. The soil can easily lie made 
to yield suflicient 8upi)lies for winter feeding by sowing in stock xiease — a food not only 
healthful for sheep, but highly relished l)y cattle. 

To be successful in sheep-raising on this table-land, the breeder must be careful to 
huild shelters for protecting his flocks from the middle of November until the middle 
of March. The climate is very rigorous in winter; and the keen northern and north- 
western blasts will speedily impair the health of the improved, though tender breeds. 
The native sheep are very healthy, and rarely suffer from any disease ; though they 
are not profitable, the wool Ijeing coarse and short, and the carcass light and lean. 
This arises, however, more from neglect than local cause. It should never be forgotten 
that thrifty flocks may be raised wherever industrious men and good breeders live, 
and that the best flocks will degenerate where inattention and neglect are practiced. 

The advantages oflered by this mountain region for the economical raising of sheep 
are : 

1. The cheapness of the lauds. Lands may be bought at almost a nominal pi'ice on 
the Cumberland Mountains. Though high and healthy, the soil in compariscm with 
that of the valleys is poor and unproductive. The price for wild, highway-jjasture 
lands varies from 50 cents to $'^ jier acre, depending mainly upon nearness to railroads 
and markets. Care should be taken, though, to investigate tin; titles thoroughly: for 
one of the most unwise acts of our past legislation was the opening of a land-office, 
and allowing every one to make his own surveys, and receive a grant for lands based 
upon such surveys. Oftentimes it happened that the same ]an<l had been entered, in 
Avhole or in part, by others. The possession of a land-grant does not carry with it in 
this State a title ; but the title rests with the oldest grant, assuming it to have been 
regularly entered at first. Let strangers beware of purchasing mountain lands with- 
out a rigid investigation of title. I am led to make these remarks because complaints 
have reached this office that persons have been swindled in purchasing land-grants. 
There is no difficulty about securing good titles to valley lands; but there is danger 
that a person may buy land upon the mountain with a grant from the State, bearing 
the great seal of authority, and have no title. 

2. The second advantage these mountain lands offer for sheep-raising is in the wide 
range of pasturage. The open woods permit the Inxurant growth of nutritious herbs 
and grasses throughout the summer, and will subsist millions of sheep for eight mouths 
in the year without any other care than salting. 

3. A third advantage may be found in tlit» dryness of the sandstone soil, which in- 
sures exemi>tion from nuiny of the diseases fatal to sheej). Xo foot-ail, no braxy, no 
impaired organs of digestion, no blind staggers, and, indeed, no other disease thaii old 
age, (u- starvation through want of care, has ever attacked them. Nor do flies annoy 
or vex flocks as they do in the lower plains. 

There are also some disadvantages attending the raising of sheep upon this mount- 
ain. The pasturage is so extensive that they often stray Ort' and are lost. There is 
also the calycauthus, that on some of the sloi)es grows vigorously, bearing seed readily 
eaten by sheep in winter, and Avhich is a deadly ])oison. To guard against this, sheep 
should be driven up and fed before the rigor of winter and the scarcity of grass com 
pel them to devour such fatal food. Another drawback will be found in the distance 
from market. While the wool may be easily conveyed to shipping points at a small 



124 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

cost, mutton sheep would suffer much in flesh l)y being flriven long distances. Of all 
this region, embracing more than 3,000,000 acres, less than 500,000 acres are within 
easy reach of railroads or navigable streams. 

My own impression is that the Merino sheep, if jiroperly cared for, would prove a 
protitable investment on these mountain lands. One i)recantion would be necessary, 
and that is to keep the bucks from the ewes until about the middle of November, so 
that the lambs would come aftar the rigorous winter weather is over. 



ADDITIONAL FACTS BEARING UPON THE CULTURE OF ELECTORAL WOOLS 

IN THE SOUTH. 

In an address delivered before the National Agricultural Congress, in New Haven, 
Conn., August 29, 1878, the writer, the compiler of the preceding pages, says: 

In a recent paper on sheep husbandry in the South, I very earnestly recommended 
the culture of electoral wools at the South. I have recently received a letter from Dr. 
Ollendorff, a gentleman before referred to, of the largest experience in the culture of 
fine wools in South America and Germany, who says, referring to my paper : 

" It is undoubtedly a mistake to suppose that a warm climate injuriously influences 
the wool liber in regard to fineness. On the contrary, I am of the opinion tliat the 
fleece of the pure Merino, in a warm climate, Avith green, succulent gra.ss nearly the 
Avhole year round, has rather a tendency to run Jiner than the interest of the sheep- 
breeder on a large scale requires." 

After the publication of the paper referred to, I pursued inquiries as to the culture 
of the electoral sheep in the district of the United States most famous for the growth 
of supei-fine wool — the Panhandle region in Western Virginia, and the contiguous coun- 
try in Ohio ; into which country Spanish Mereno sheex), partially descended from 
Colonel Humphreys' flock, and, "subsequently, Saxon sheep, had been imported by 
Messrs. Wells & Dickerson. In answer to my inquiries, I obtained the following facts. 
in an extended communication from Mr. J. D. Witham, of West Virginia, a practical 
wool-grower and wool-dealer, from which I give some extracts in detail, as they fftr- 
nish entirely fresh and original information upon a too much neglected branch of sheep 
husbandry : 

" The Messrs. Faris Brothers, of West Liberty, Ohio County, Weai Virginia, for- 
merly owned flocks which were bred Avith particular regard to fineness; and Mr. John 
Faris, wlio has still a portion of the old flock, claims to have bred the finest wooled 
ram that ever Avas born, his fleece Aveighing but a pound and three-quarters. All Avho 
saw him pronounced him the finest they had ever seen. Some of the progeny of this 
ram is still to be found in tAvo or three flocks in Ohio County. 

'"It is claimed by the farmers of this county that they formerly bred from as pure 
Saxony sheep as could be obtained. Many of them Avere purchased trom a Mr. Pea- 
body Atkinson, Avho came from New England, and was an enthusiast in his devotion 
to fiue-wooled sheep. 

"Mr. Ninian Beall, near West Liberty, has a flock of about 500 sheep, 'not as many 
as he would like,' he says, 'but enough for a sample.' He warrants all to be XXX and 
picklock. The fleeces Avill average from three to three and a half pounds. He is now 
breeding from Silesian rams. His flock, Avith tAvo or three others, may be cousidered 
the cream of the once fauions Saxony flocks of West Virginia. Notwithstanding the 
recent infusion of Silesian blood, they may be regarded as having a Saxony foundation ; 
for the Silesian infusion is of comparatively late introduction. Mr. Beall is noAV 
breeding from 'Beecher,' a ram purchased at the Centennial, from the Silesian flock 
of the late W. H. Chamberlain, of Red Hook. He shears eleven pounds of beautiful 
nuAvashed avooI, very compact, yet short in sta])le. Some persons think the Silesians 
are lacking in constitution. Mr. Beall pronounces this animal to have as good a, con- 
stitution as any sheep in the country, and to be an excellent breeder. He' has not 
found it necessary to nurse one of his lambs during the tAvo years that he has been 
breeding from him. Mr. Beall prides himself as much upon his fine avooI as any 
'electoral duke' can. It seems quite ajipropriate that he should groAV 'noble' wools. 
Residing on one of the richest and finest farms in any country, he is truly a lord in his 
OAVu realm ; Avith his help around him, his every nu)tion a command, and the very soil 
on Avhich he treads seeming to know naught but to obey, as his Avell-filled barns and 
AvaA^ing corn Avill testify. 

" It may be added that the same manufacturer has purchased his wool for the past 
nine years. Yesterday he sold his avooI for 48 cents ajjound ; last year, for 60 cents." 

I recollect distinctly and Avith gieat pleasure the exhibit of Mr. Beall's avooI at the 
Centennial. As one (if the judges of avooI, I examined it, in company with the eminent 
Bradford nianufacturer, Mr. Mitchell, and wrote bis award Avith Mr. Mitchell's hearty 
concurrence : "An exhibit of Saxony fleeces, two bucks and two CAves, of fineness char- 
acteristic of the race." 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 125 

Mr. Witliam adds: 

"There are some three or four other clips -which sold for as much, or within a half- 
cent as ninch, as Mr. Beall's. I iui<>ht mention Mr. James Rid<;eley, of the same dis- 
trict; Mr. John Baird, of Philadelphia; and Dr. J. C. Campbell, of Eichland district. 
These men claim to have never introduced Spanish Merino blood into their flocks, and 
the prodtu-ts of their-flocks are known as Saxony clips. Indeed, tliei-e are but few 
flocks in this country from which the Saxony blood has been entirely bred out." 

Harrison County, adjoining the Panhandle, has been always famous for its supeifiue 
wool. Mr. Witliam writes: 

"Mr. William Croskey, of Hopedale, has over a thousand fleeces, all grading XXX 
and above. I had sup[tosed there was not such a clip in the country, and certainly 
there is not such another. It presents a very showy appearance, as it is 'rocked' up 
on an elevated platform in the middle of his barn-floor. Snow-white in appearance, 
a manufacturer could but say, ' I came, I saw, I bought.' He has his ram fleeces, some 
flftecn or twenty, piled on the outside of his pile in the 'wall' in one place, and tells 
you, 'Now, I will give you this pile if you will pick out the bucks' fleeces.' They ai"e 
washed, and present as showy and Avliite an a.ppearance as any of his fleeces. His 
Avool is longer in the staple than I expected to see it. Much of it has delaine length — 
the very wool for French cashmeres and merinoes. 

"Mr. Croskey considers his sheep the hardiest that are bred in the Ohio, Pennsyl- 
vania, and West Virginia region. The wo(d pays as well as any other raised in that 
region. His fleeces aA^erage three and three-quarters pounds. He sold last year for 
sixty-live cents a pound, straight through, Avithout any deductions or dockings. I 
said to him : 

" 'What breed of sheep do you liaA'e, Mr. Croskey; is it Saxony?' 

" 'I do not know. I haA'e aimed to breed the best and finest sheep that I could get. 
I do not like the Silesian; bred them one year, but sold all the stock Avhen two years 
old. I do not think there is a drojj of Silesian blood in my flock. The Silcsians may 
be A-erj^ good sheep, but irot AA'liat I am breeding for. I have some of the best of 
Thomas A. Wood's flock, acknoAvledged by all to have been the finest of that section, 
but sold and scattered among other Avool-men after his death. I had one of his rams, 
which died last year at the age of tAventy-two years and Avhich took the premium or 
medal as the finest sheep at one of the w^orld's fairs. I have now twenty better sheep 
than him, in every respect.' 

" 'Do you not think your breed of sheep, or the Saxony sheep, tender?' 

"'I suppose my sheep are Saxony, if anything. They are not American Merino, 
Spanish, Silesian, or any other breed of which I liaA-e heard. This ram, dying at the 
age of tAventy-tAvo, Avould seem to indicate hardiness. I do not house my sheep. Some 
of them have free access to sheds, but they are just as apt to select the highest knoll 
of a cold night as any other place. I think there is no hardier sheep, no sheep better 
adapted to this clin^ate; and Ave haA^e as hard a climate as anyAvhere, the thermometer 
getting down as low as 2.5° beloAv zero and up to 100° in the shade nearly every year. 
I have not as much trouble Avith my lambs in dropping time as some of my neighbors 
Avho raise Spanish or American Merinoes.' 

" 'Do you think the tendency of your flock is to grow finer and lighter or not?' 

" 'My flock is finer than Avhen I commenced breeding forty years ago; and the 
fleeces Avill average one pound heavier, obviously because it has become longer, Avith 
no more grease. I feed but little grain. I can raise tAvo of my Saxon sheep Avhere you 
can raise one Merino. Neighbor Midholland tried this and found the Saxon the hardi- 
est, and much the easiest kejit. With the same care it will raise nearly as much avooI; 
and probably more, taking the grease into consideration.' " 

I will add that I also remember the avooI of this same Mr. Croskey at the Centen- 
nial, and that the judges gave him an award in these terms: "An exhibit of twelve 
samples of Saxony avooI of the highest excellence." 

The above extracts show that our Southern friends wiio desire to j)ursue the fasci- 
nating pursuit of superfine sheep husbandry may find in our OAvn country breeding 
animals to start their flocks, thoroughly acclinuxted. having all the fineness of the 
original Saxons without their tenderness of constitution, and producing heavier 
fleeces Avithout loss of fineness of fiber. Thus Ave find Avhat Avill be to most of us an 
unexijected addition to the American resources for sheep-husbandry. 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY IN CONNECTION WITH THE CULTURE OF TOBACCO. 

In the address referred to, the Avritcr presented the following facts, which will be 
instructive to the tobacco-growers of the South: 

The A'allcy of the Connecticut furnishes an instructive illustration of the beneficial 
influences of sheep-husl)andry upon crops. I refer to the system of sheep-feeding for 
nuitton and manure, in connection Avith the tobacco culture, &c., profitably pursued in 



12G SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

that valley. For the pnriiose of obtaining definite information, I addressed inquiries 
to several iiractical farmers engaged in this pnrsnit in tliat region. Among others, to 
Mr. J. F. C. AUis, of East Whately, Mass., whose statement is so instructive that I 
give it at length, in his own words : 

"We feed from 200 to 600 sheep ; buying in the fall, and selling in the spring. We 
have bought, directly after shearing, of Michigan farmers, and had the sheep pastured 
till November. By early selecting and buying, we are more sure of getting the best 
sheep, and more easily obtain all wethers, and usually at minimum cost. Merinoes 
crossed with long-wool sheep weighing from 90 to 110 pounds, from three to five years 
of age, are the kind we select, as they take on fat easily, and their mutton is preferred 
in New York and Brighton markets. Long-wool sheep, as we think, are not good 
feeders ; they do not take on fat so easily ; and, although they cost more, will not sell 
higher when we are ready to market them. 

"We keep our sheep under cover, and commence to feed lightly about December 1, 
yarding them close, from 40 to 50 in a pen; always keei)ing them well bedded with 
wheat and rye straw, or coarse hay. We commence to feed the sheep light with grain, 
gradually iucreasing till they eat one 'quart each, daily; we seldom give more; the 
object being to give them all they will eat, without cloying. 

"In 1871 we fed 200 sheep from December 1, and 8.5 more from December 24, and 
sent them to Brighton market April 10, 1872. We fed 725 bushels of corn, with 15 
tons of hay. From 1865 to 1873 Massachusetts-Connecticut River Valley farmers fed 
from 8,000 to 10,000 yearly, mostly coming from Michigan, son'ie from Ohio; but Michi- 
gan Merinoes crossed with long-wooled sheep are considered the best feeders. 

"During those years sheep for feeders found a ready sale; and agents from tobacco- 
growers would take from one to two months in marketing tlocks, and would car them 
here 1,000 to 2,000 at a time. 

"Since 1878, owing to financial causes and their effect, and almost always lower 
markets for the same class of mutton in the spring than in the fall, the number fed has 
gradually decreased, till last year only about 2,000 Avere fatted. Farmers were satis- 
fled to feed when they would receive pay for grain, considering the manure would pay 
for hay and care of sheep. During the best" year of feeding, sheep would sell in the 
spring for double the price paid in fall; the average price t)ne-third more. Since 1873 
more caution has been taken, the pressure of time being too hard for profitable sheep- 
feeding. 

" The cause for feeding so many sheep for their mutton in this valley is the high 
value of sheep-manure for tobacco-growers, it having the effect on our light soil to pro- 
duce dark-colored silky leaf, of good burning quality, suitable for wrapping fine 
cigars; the tobacco burns white, and has a good, sweet flavor, perhaiis owing to the 
potash it derives from the mauxire. So valuable do we consider this sheep-manure 
that we have shipped, since 1870, from West Albany, from 50 to 150 cords, costing from 
f 8 to $10 a cord, every spring. On our light soils, called pine-lands, after raising crops 
of tobacco, 2,000 pounds to the acre, we have sown wheat; yielding 30 bushels, i)lump 
berry, and heavy weight of straw, on land which without this dressing of manure is 
fit only for white beans. We of late years feed with our sweetest and finest hay, and 
mix with our corn one-third cotton-seed meal; by so feeding our sheep fatten more 
easily, being more hardy and lietter conditioned, besides increasing the value of the 
manure and rendering it more full of plant food. 

"Farmers in hill towns, and some in the valley, are keeping ewes for raising lamb 
for early spring market ; and those farmers who have good pasturage for fall market 
realize for lambs, of from 40 to 70 pounds, from $8 to .$10 each. 

"This branch of sheep husbandry will undoubtedly increase among farmers, who 
will keep from 15 to 30 head, notwithstanding the difficulty of good pasturage and the 
worry and destiuction caused by dogs. 

"Sheep invariably are the best that are penned in November and December coming 
direct from pastures. Having only had light feeding of grain, they car better and are 
more hearty feeders. The Connecticut River fed sheep have a ready sale, at full 
market rates, in early aud late si)ring, both in Brighton and New York markets. 

" Fattening Avethers for market would rapidly increase if the spring luarket could 
be more relied upon. Perhaps this reliance will come from the iucreasiug foreign 
demand for good mutton." 



RECENT NOTES ON THE ANGORA GOAT. 

[From the Bulletin of the National Ai9sociation of Wool Manufacturers.] 

We have to thank our friend. Prof. Spencer F. Baird, the distinguished naturalist, 
and Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, for calling our attention to the follow- 
ing article, published in the celebrated English sporting paper, The Field, of June 8. 

It has been our object since writing the first full monograph on the Angora goat, 



SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 127 

pultlislietl here or abroad, to pnblisli all the later information upon this snl)ject in our 
Bulletin. The paper given below is the most important of the recent contributions. 
It is important to those desiring to import these animals from their native habitats, 
as it gives a precise descri})tion of the localities where the ditferent varieties ]irevail. 
There are two jioints, dwelt upon by the writer, to which special attention sliould be 
given by those proposing the culture of the Angora in this country. The first is that 
the high and dry plateaus where these goats ttonrish in Asia Minor have an " abund- 
ant growth of oaks, either in the form of trees or scrub brusli, tlie leaves of which fur- 
nish the goats with their favorite food, not only while green in summer, but dried for 
winter use." This suggests the fitness of regions in the South, where oaks abound, 
for the culture of these animals ; and shows that where grasses do not abound, as in 
nmny districts of the South, abinidant forage can be supplied by the dried leaves, 
gathered and cured, of course, when green. 

The second point is the course adojtted in Asia Minor to obtain an increase of the 
flocks. The writer observes that, "with regard to the breeding of the mohair goat 
and cross-breeding it with the common species, there are two diffei-ent theories. One 
is that the best mode of beginning Ji flock is to commence with a few thorough-bred 
goats of both sexes, ami trust entirely to the natural increase. * * * The alterna- 
tive plan is to introduce a small but choice collection of thorough-bred r.anis, and cross 
the common ewe-goat with these. In three to five years a large and valuable flock is 
collected, only limited by the number of common goats procured at lirst." "Theo- 
rists," he says, "object to this system, that perfect purity of breed cannot be reached; 
but practically every trace of underbreeding can be eliminated, and the standard of 
the pure goat reached. * * * In practice, a combination of the two methods has 
been found the most profitable ; that is, a small flock, consisting of say ninety thor- 
ough-bred ewes and ten pure Angora rams, kept carefully apart, and used as a feeder 
for as many common ewe-goats as are procurable." 

This is precisely the plan which we would recommend to breeders in this country, 
only with the injunction that even the most perfected cross-bred ewes should be in- 
variably crossed by an absolutely pure-bred ram, and that even the best cross-bred 
rams should never be used or sold for breeding. Without the persistent use of pure 
rams no good results can be obtained. By this plan we feel reassured that the Angora- 
goat husbandry, in suitable localities, can be successfully and profitably conducted in 
this country. 

In our original paper on the Angora goat we announced the following conclusion: 
"The Angora goat, and the domestic goat of Europe and this country, having de- 
scended from separate sources, the obtaining of good results from the crosses of the 
two races is theoretically improbable, and is demonstrated to be so by the best experi- 
ence in Europe." As we stated in a recent article on sheep-husbandry in the South, 
later observations of experiments in Australia, and especially in the Cape of Good 
Hope, has led us to modify the conclusion above quoted. We must now admit that 
good fleece-i»roducing animals may be founded on the common goat. The conclusive 
fact estal)lishing this is the one stated by the Messrs. Bowes, in their wool statistics for 
1878, that the first shipment of mohair from the Cape of Good Hope, made in 18G5, 
consisted of but 6,804 pounds. In 1876 the quantity reached 1,298,455 poumls, "and 
the quality has been very much improved." It is not possible that this vast increase 
could have been made except by breeding on the common goat. The excellence of the 
product of the graded animals is proved by the highest test : it has become a regular 
article of commerce. 

The greater part of the enterprise devoted to the Angoragoat culture in this conn- 
try has been frittered away, and has been productive of no results. Breeders who 
crossed pure animals upon conmion goats have sold the grade aninuils as if they had 
all the excellences of the absolutely pure goats. The purchasers, in their turn, breed- 
ing the grade bucks to common goats, have been naturally disappointed in the results, 
and have let the breeds run entirely out. The failure has come from attempting to 
derive profit from the sale of the graded animals, instead of from perfected fleeces. A 
fair and intelligent experiment in Angora-goat husbandry on a large scale, such as is 
made in sheep-husbandry, with the sole object of obtaining the largest jn-oduct and 
the utmost excellence of fleece, has hardly been made in this country. When the ex- 
periment is fairly made on the mountains of Virginia or North Carolina, with suiiicieut 
capital, a foundation of absolutely pure animals, and Avith time enough allowed to 
complete the improvement of the flock (five or six years), we feel confident that it will 
be highly remunerative. Our manufactures will absorb all the fleece that can l)e 
grown here for many years to come ; or, the fleece being worth about twice as much 
abroad as the best Lincoln hoggett wool, it may be iirofitably exported. 

Professor Baird informs us that inquiries were made of him, by practical manufact- 
urers, in relation to the "Van" mohair. This question is partially answered in the 
article quoted below, and further by the following statement : 

" Some years since, Mr. A. Eutichedes, a native of Asia Minor, came to this country, 
bringing a flock of Angoras, of his own selection, from his native land. He finally 



128 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

settled in Virginia; but, becoming discontented, went back to Smyrna. He sold bis 
goats to Mr. F. S. Fulmer, of Appomattox County, Va. In answer to a request for in- 
formation as to a variety of Angora goat known as the ' Van,' Mr. Enticbedes writes 
to Mr. Fulmer, under data of June last — 

"' Van is a province in Armenia, near Kars. Tlie goats of tbe province produce 
about one million pouiuls of an inferior mohair, of four or five colors. The goats there 
shear about three pounds per head, with about half as much per pound as the fleece of 
Angora. On no account advise any friends of yours to go into Van goats ; for their 
mohair is too coarse, and never sells for more than half what the true Angora mohair 
brings.'" 

" The Anpora or Mohair Goat ; its NaturaJization in British Colonies. — At the last meet- 
ing of the British Colonial Institute, Mr. Gavin Gatheral, vice-consul at Angora, read 
a paper advocating the naturalization of the Angora goat in suitable parts of our Colo- 
nial Empire. The Angora goat (the Oapra hircus of naturalists) is a native of the 
central plateaus and mountains of Asiatic Turkey. From a very early period, efforts 
have been nuide to introduce them into Europe. In 1554-; specimens were imported 
into Holland, but with little success, the climate being unsuitable; the humidity de- 
stroying the length and luster of the fleece, which makes this staple esteemed as next 
in value to silk. 

" The climate and soil of Central Asia Minor are of extreme dryness, with an aver- 
age elevation of 2,500 feet above the level of the sea, and an abundant growth of oak, 
either in the form of trees or scrub brush, the leaves of which furnish the goats with 
their favorite food, not only while green in summer, but dried for winter fodder. In 
addition to the varieties of oak mentioned, these plateaus grow a scant supply of the 
short, tufted grass. During the intense heat of sununer this meager herbage is burnt 
up ; but the goats thrive and find sustenance where any other animal would perish. 

" In appearance they are somewhat smaller than the common goat ; the fleece, when 
full-grown, hangs in natural ringlets, almost touching the ground ; the head is small 
and shapely ; and both sexes have flat, corrugated horns, from eighteen to twenty-four 
inches long (according to age), that diverge from the top of the head. On the wide 
plateaus and in deep gullies of Central Asia Minor, these goats are tended in flocks of 
from 200 to 5,000 head, generally mixed with sheep. There are few more beautiful 
objects than a large flock, in full fleece, scattered over some rugged mountain-side, 
under the unclouded blue of an Asiatic sky ; their snowy fleeces glittering like silver 
in the brilliant sunshine, and the small bronze bells hung on the necks of the rams 
chiming as they move about. They are very tame, and will readily approach when 
called. 

"The folds consist generally of a sheltered inclosure surrounded by a low wall, and 
are little used except during continuous rain. The goats return to their evening shelter 
at sunset. During the heavy snow which sometimes covers the ground for two or three 
months, the slie])herds feed them with chopped straw or dried leaves. There is little 
expense in grazing them, as one goat-herd with a dog — to keep off wolves, which 
abouiKl — suffices for a thousand head. But in early spring, when the kids are born, 
they require attention, as the yoiing are singularly hel]>less during the flrst week of 
their lives, and the ewes show little maternal instinct ; and if the kids are born during 
cold or wintry weather, they require to be sheltered and nourished indoors after night- 
fall. A running stream or good well is indispensable, as the goats drink a great quan- 
tity of water ; and it is advisable to place pieces of rock-salt for them to lick. 

''No ordinary fence will restrain them. They are so restless, energetic, and destruc- 
tive that cultivated plants in their vicinity have to be carefully guarded, especially 
ornamental shrubs or hawthorn hedges, and gorse and briers. They will not, there- 
fore, supersede sheep on good grass-lands ; but there are immense tracts in many of our 
Australian and American colonies, now practically idle and valueless, that, were these 
goats introduced, might be taken up and utilized in "the production of a very imjior- 
tant staple, both for local manufacture and export. 

"With regard to the breeding of the mohair goat, and cross-breeding it with the 
common species, there are two difterent theories. One is, that the best mode of begin- 
ning a flock is to commence Avith a few thorough-bred goats of both sexes and trust 
entirely to their natural increase. The objection to this is the outlay at the outset, 
and the time that must elapse before a large number can be raised. The alternative 
plan is to introduce a small but choice selection of thorough-bred rams, and cross the 
common ewe-goat with these. In three to Ave yeai-s a large and valuable flock is col- 
lected, only limited by the number of common goats procured at the outset. Theorists 
object to tills system,' that perfect purity of breed cannot be reached ; but, practically, 
every trace of underbreeding can be eliminated and the standard of the pure goat 
reached ; the mohair being as fine, as long, though perhaps scarcely so abundant, as 
in the thorough-bred, while the silky luster so much valued by spinners is undoubtedly- 
greater. In practice, a combination of the two niethods has been found tli(^ most prof- 
itable ; that is, a small flock consisting of say ninety thorough-bred ewes aud ten pure 



SHEKP-IIUSBANDRY. 129 

Angora rams, kept carefully apart, and used as a feeder for as many common ewe- 
goats as are procurable. 

"As regards the value of the fleece, both quality and price vary much; but fair aver- 
age mohair is worth from 2s. 9d. to ',is. 9d. per pound, the average yield being five to 
six pounds, or, say, 20s. per head per annum. The flesh of mohair goats in good con- 
dition much resembles mutton. It is somewhat firmer in fiber, and quite as palata- 
ble ; in fact, those accustomed to both prefer it, and it is entirely free from the pecu- 
liar odor that characterizes common goats' flesh. The wethers accumulate large 
• [uantities of internal fat, which is remarkaldy firm and white, and makes valuable 
tallow. The ewe gives abundance of milk, and from it is made that slightly-acid curd 
called 'yort' in Turkish, so highly i)raised by Captain Buruaby in his recent work, 
'On Horseback Across Asia Minor.' The skin is soft and flexible, can be beautifully 
cured and tanned, and from it in Turkey is made the best quality of what is known 
in Europe as morocco leather. The skins, when taken oft' with the hair, are also val- 
uable articles of merchandise. They command high prices for carriage and drawing- 
room rugs. 

" The statistics of this industry show considerable fluctuations from year to year, 
varying with the general condition of the flocks and the demands of fashion in Great 
Britain. Taking the last few years of de])ressed trade as a minimum, the shipments 
from Turkish ports to England average 40,000 bales, of 170 pounds each, of good or 
fair, and 10,000 of inferior, mohair. With regard to skins, »&.c., there are no reliable sta- 
tistics available; but the total value at i)resent prices will be a little over £2,000,000 
sterling annually. This represents the full {)roduciug power of the Asia Minor dis- 
tricts ; and were returning peace to stimulate trade in England, the demand would far 
excedd the supply. Even as it is, the industry is frequently much hampered by the 
delay and difficulty in procuring supplies ; and this fact should induce colonial graziers 
and capitalists to turn their attention to it. The manufacture is entirely in British 
hands. 

" The mohair-producing district in Asia Minor lies between the large town called 
Kastambol, near the Black Sea on the north, Koniah to the south, Sivas to the east, 
and Eskisher to the westward. It yields more than twenty varieties, which are easily 
recognizable by experts; but the following are the principal: 

' ' The most northerly point at which the mohair goat thrives is Kastambol, a large 
and fertile province, but too near the moist winds of the Black Sea for the mohair 
goat to reach its highest development. The fleece, though lustrous, is harsh and 
coarse. It is somewhat unfortunate that the first selections for export to the Cape 
Colony, for naturalization there, were made from this district. The facilities for ship- 
ment are great ; but had other varieties, to be noted fur-ther on, been preferred, the 
result of the Cape experiment might have been more satisfactory. 

"Two hundred miles inland and to the southward lies Angora. This province pro- 
duces five different varieties from as many districts, each of them equal in area to the 
largest English county. Yabanova (or Strangerfield) produces a heavy lustrous fleece; 
Tchorba, a mohair so soft and fine that it falls to pieces as soon as shorn from the 
goat's back; Tchiboukova (or the Reedy Valley) is remarkable for its length and fine- 
ness of fiber; Ayash (the Mountain Pass) produces a white but lustorless fleece. The 
rams of the three first -named districts are undoubtedly thorough-bred. Though smaller 
in size than those of some other varieties, they have all the ' points ' that a practical 
stock-breeder commends. Sheltered by oak forests during the short but severe winter, 
and grazed on the valley grass during spring and siimmer, they seem to find in the 
alternation everything needful for strength and vigor, as is proved by their being so 
prolific, the ewes having frequently pairs, and sometimes even triplets, at a birth. 
Jeevar (or Near Town) is bright and showy, but full of what is technically called 
stick, or kempy hair. 

"Beybazar (or Prince's Market) is so near Angora that the mohair it produces has 
no marked points of ditterence. The rams are larger in size, very hardy, and stand a 
sea voyage well. A few have been recently exported to Cape Colony and California, 
the result being highij' satisfactory. To the northeastward are Tcherkess (or Circas- 
sian Village) and Geredeh (or Behind the Mountain), two districts where the mohair 
goats have been introduced in comparatively recent times. They there develop dis- 
tinct characteristics, owing to the difference of climate and elevation. Th^ Geredeh 
ram is a large and powerful animal, covered with a fleece that seems almost black, so 
sirrcharged is it with grease ; but, when scoured, the mohair is found to be second to 
none in quality and fineness. The difficulty of access to this mountain region has 
hitherto prevented any of these goats being secured for export. 

" To the eastward are Sivrihissar (or the Tnrreted Castle) and Etkisheir (or the Old 
City). Both suffered severely from the two years of successive di-ought in 1874-75, 
and the consequent famine. Many of the goats perished ; but the graziers replaced 
them with stock from other districts, the result being a marked improvement in qual- 
ity and value. 

'•'Due south lies Koniah, the aucient Icouium ; the soil there being of the color 

S. Ex. 25 9 



130 SHEEP-HUSBANDRY. 

and ciiartlcter of brick-diist. The fleece of tlie Koniali goat is a reddish brown ; and, 
though this reduces its vahie as mohair, it is sought after for certain special manufac- 
tures. On the frontier of Armenia and Mesopotamia, far to the eastward, is a prov- 
ince called Van, which has hitherto supplied a great weight of inferior mohair, more 
resembling sheep's wool than goat's hair ; but this is the only part of the mohair-pro- 
ducing territory that has been occupied by the Russian invading armies, and conse- 
quently may be looked upon as lost to'British commerce for many years to come. 

"Recent events have greatly facilitated the means of purchasing and exporting 
tlioronghbred mohair goats from Asia Minor to British colonies. In former ye.ars it was 
as difficult to induce a Turkish grazier to part with a ram as to get an Arab to sell his 
favorite mare; but, war contributions increasing, he accepts the inevitable, and buys 
and sells like other people. The goats thrive well on shipboard, when properly at- 
tended to, so that the risk of loss during transit is small. 

"Mr. Gatheral gave the following information resi)ecting the cost of Angora goats: 

" Rams, thoroughbred, young bucks from the l>est districts, two to three years old, 
with certificate of health and condition, litness for breeding purposes, £fi. Ewes, 
same age and breed, £'A to £4. Expenses beyond Constantinople depend on freight, 
which varies much. Delivered in London, Liver])ool, or Southampton, for transship- 
ment, cost, freight, and insurance against all risk included, the rams cost from £9 to 
£10 ; ewes about one-lialf. For the Australian colonies they could be transshipped ;vt 
Malta, thus saving time and expense. 

" The animals are always forwarded in pens made ex^iressly, with every facility for 
water, fodder, and cleanliness. They are sent under the care of shepherds who have 
had much experience. 

'" In the course of the conversation which ensued, Dr. Bennett, the Australian nat- 
i.ralist, exhibited magnificent specimens of soft, silky mohair, of a beautiful lustrous 
white color, the produce of Angora goats naturalized in New South Wales." 



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